Queen's joy at 'happy ending to a terrible story' at riot-hit library

The Queen visited a library rebuilt after being destroyed in a riot, telling the children she met that "you can never have too many books".

Her Majesty had donated a box of books to Spellow Library in Liverpool after it was burned down in widespread unrest in the summer of 2024 following the Southport attack in which three children died.

She was at the library earlier to unveil a plaque, and brought with her more books to donate.

Queen Camilla said seeing the library rise from the ashes was a "happy ending" to "such a terrible story".

After unveiling the plaque, she said: "You can never have too many books. I've brought some more and it's so wonderful to see this place rise from the ashes.

"Congratulations to all of you who made it happen."

Ahead of the plaque being unveilled, children's author Frank Cottrell-Boyce read a poem about the library.

He told the Queen he had done a workshop with children to come up with a new name for the County Road site ahead of its reopening, but that the children wanted it to remain as Spellow.

The library was rebuilt after more than £250,000 was raised through fundraising, and a host of celebrities donated books to help restock it.

Alex McCormick, who set up the fundraising campaign, said: "It is is amazing how far we have come, and that the Queen wanted to see what we had done.

"I set it up the fundraising page in anger on the night [of the fire] to raise just £500 and I never dreamed we would be where we are now."

Library assistant and information officer Sean McEvoy was joined by the Queen as he read Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae to the children.

He said: "It's not something I expected to do on a normal day in work. The children were fantastic."

Resident Lyndsey Crowther-Jones said of the royal visit: "It's brilliant. I can't believe she has come here.

"It was lovely to see the kids from St Francis De Sales school go over all dressed up."

The Spellow Lane Community Hub and Library originally opened in 2023 to serve deprived communities.

McEvoy said the Queen's visit was "great for the community, the library", adding: "It's what somewhere like this deserves the way the community has come together."

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