Taylor Swift fans donate more than 400 gifts to victims of the attack in Southport

Taylor Swift fans have shown their support to the victims of the Southport stabbing on a massive scale, presenting over 400 gifts and bracelets to the victims’ families.

Among the flowers, teddy bears and cards are hundreds of friendship bracelets left in memory of the victims of the July 29 stabbings outside the venue of a Taylor Swift dance class.

Axel Rudakubana, 18, has been charged with the murder of Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, Bebe King, 6, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7. Rudakubana is also charged with the attempted murder of yoga teacher Leanne Lucas, businessman John Hayes and eight children who cannot be named for legal reasons.

All children injured in the attack are no longer in hospital and were released on Tuesday.

Why did people leave friendship bracelets?

At the dance workshop where the attack took place, the young fans present were said to have made friendship bracelets. This goes back to a long tradition of Swifties, Taylor Swift fans who exchange bracelets with each other.

Instead of an actual exchange, the Swifties made bracelets for the deceased as a sign of recognition; some bear the names of the children killed, others have short messages of support.

In one photo, the names of the three children, “Alice, Bebe and Elsie,” are shown on a bracelet, while another reads “Bigger than the sky.”

Fans have also made additional friendship bracelets to donate to all participants of the dance class.

Cristina Jones co-organised this project with Holly Goldring and they are also the duo behind the viral fundraiser on JustGiving, which has now raised over £360,000.

Jones told Yahoo News that they had 400 items for the victims and that the gifts would be donated in partnership with Alder Hey Children’s Hospital. Jones said the hospital had asked people not to send gifts directly to the victims.

The two fans called Swiftities together and organized a project to donate gifts to the surviving victims. Fans made handmade bracelets and collected gifts like candy, toys, fidget spinners, Taylor Swift coloring books, and chocolate. People were more than happy to donate and thanked them for organizing. They had to stop donations as they were inundated with gifts.

Jones said: “Friendship bracelets are such an important part of Swiftie history. In the song ‘You’re On Your Own Kid’ she sings “Make friendship bracelets, enjoy the moment and enjoy it” and since then we’ve been exchanging them and making them for each other.”

The song was released in 2022 and today, in 2024, fans have made it a must-listen at Swifties’ concerts and get-togethers. During her shows, Swift sometimes chats up a lucky fan by gifting them her “22” hat. Last year, a Swiftie gifted the pop star a friendship bracelet in return. Swift returns to the UK on August 15 as part of her Era’s Tour with 5 nights at Wembley Stadium.

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