Queen congratulates community over ‘happy ending’ for library torched in riots

The Queen has congratulated a community which brought a library back “from the ashes” after it was torched during riots.

On Friday, Camilla visited the Spellow Community Hub and Library in Walton, Liverpool, which was set alight when violent disorder broke out on County Road in the wake of the stabbings at a dance class in Southport, Merseyside, in summer 2024.

The Queen donated a box of books when the library was restocked before its reopening and brought more books with her when she visited.

Camilla at the library in Liverpool, which has reopened after being destroyed by rioters (Peter Byrne/PA)

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After unveiling a 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.

“It was such a terrible story and it’s had a happy ending.”

Sean McEvoy, a library and information assistant who was joined by the Queen as he read a story to schoolchildren, said: “There are so many positives that came from what happened.

“We’ve moved past the point where we talk about it and how it made us feel and now we look at the community’s reaction and focus a lot more on the positives out of it.

Camilla brought more books with her when she visited (Peter Byrne/PA)

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“It has been amazing since the library reopened.

“It’s been great to have the Queen visit today. It’s good for the community and good for the library and they deserve it.”

Mr McEvoy read Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae to the children as Camilla sat next to him.

He said: “It’s not something I expected to do on a normal day in work! The children were fantastic.”

Before Camilla unveiled the plaque, children’s author Frank Cottrell-Boyce read a poem about the library.

Camilla watches local schoolchildren play chess during a visit to Liverpool (Peter Byrne/PA)

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

Speaking after the visit, he said: “What makes Spellow especially important is that, after the riots, people came together to restore something their community could not afford to lose. It’s a powerful story of resilience and hope.

“The joy of sharing a book together is one of the greatest gifts we can give a child. Reading helps children dream bigger, build confidence and feel connected.

“It was a privilege to share with Her Majesty The Queen how communities are working together to put books and stories at the heart of children’s lives.”

Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram, who was among the dignitaries at the library, said: “Spellow Hub has gone from being a symbol of the devastation to a powerful example of what this community really stands for. I’m delighted to welcome Her Majesty to our region and for her to see first-hand the remarkable journey this area has been on.”

Camilla helped pupils from St Francis De Sales Catholic Junior School and Arnot St Mary Primary School as they took part in colouring and wordsearch tasks in the library, before joining children who were having chess lessons.

She picked a queen chess piece up for a child who dropped it and heard the class had been learning about which directions a queen can move in.

She then spoke to first responders from the police and fire service about their involvement in dealing with the disorder and was shown pictures of the damage to the library after the blaze.

She also met Alex McCormick, who set up an online fundraiser with the aim of raising £500 to go towards repairing and restocking the library and raised £250,000.

Ms McCormick said: “It has been incredible to see Spellow Community Library and Hub thrive and grow, and prove what we’ve always known – that it’s a vital part of this community.

“It has been a privilege to be a part of this wonderful journey.”

Later in the day, Camilla visited Speke Hall in Liverpool where she met Gruffalo creators Dame Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler and joined families for a storytelling session which included a visit from the character himself.

She also met with local partners and organisations working with the National Literacy Trust to improve access to early years support in Liverpool.

Dame Julia, the author of The Gruffalo stories, said: “It was fun to meet the families and act out The Gruffalo with them, and I hope that they’ll feel encouraged to read more stories and perhaps even to act them out themselves.

“It was also a good opportunity to get together with some of the people from the National Literacy Trust’s Liverpool hub and find out more about all that the charity is doing to promote books and reading during the Year of Reading and beyond.”