Jenni and David Stancombe said their daughter was the "perfect little girl" The parents of Elsie Dot Stancombe said "the light" she brought to their lives "will never diminish". The seven-year-old will be laid to rest today, Friday, August 23. Elsie was one of the three children, along with Alice Da Silva Aguiar and Bebe King, killed in a mass stabbing at The Hart Space in Southport on Monday, July 29.
Eight children and two adults were also injured in the attack. The schoolgirl's family want her funeral, which was held at St John's Church in Birkdale at 10am, to be known as 'Elsie's Special Day.' Her parents, Jenni and David Stancombe, paid tribute to Elsie as part of the order of service.
Titled Elsie Dot by mum and dad, the eulogy was read by Emily Ridgway. Jenni and David spoke about the delight they felt when they were going to become parents for the first time with Elsie. They said Elsie was "far too excited to meet her mummy and daddy" and arrived five weeks early.
The eulogy said: "From the moment she was first placed in your arms, the first time you saw her special name written on the board above the hospital bed, she filled you both with a pride that words simply can’t describe. That first night at home, you both sat there wondering 'what on earth do we do now?', 'how are we responsible for this perfect little baby?', all new parents go through the exact same thought process, but Elsie didn’t pick up that fear, that worry. "She fitted into your lives perfectly, .