Liverpool Football Club is to mark the 25th anniversary of Hillsborough with a special day of programming on the club’s official television channel LFC TV.
Starting at 10.00am on Tuesday, April 15, LFC TV will broadcast coverage of the annual memorial service at Anfield alongside two new documentaries to commemorate the 25th anniversary, entitled ‘With Hope In Our Hearts’ and ‘Hands Across the Park’, all of which will be free-to-view on Sky, Virgin and online.
English football paid its respects over the weekend to the 96 Liverpool supporters who lost their lives in the tragedy at Hillsborough stadium in Sheffield during the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest on April 15, 1989.
The Hillsborough Memorial Service is staged every year at Anfield and the city of Liverpool will fall silent to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the tragedy.
The city will observe a one-minute silence at 3.06pm, the exact time at which the match was stopped, in remembrance of the 96 people who lost their lives.
During the service, a candle will be lit by Young Lord Mayor, James Douglas and a minute’s silence will be held to pay respects.
This will be followed by prayers led by Auxiliary Bishop of Liverpool, The Right Reverend Tom Williams and Chaplain to the Lord Mayor, Reverend John Williams.
With new Hillsborough inquests currently ongoing, Liverpool FC has respected the reporting restrictions imposed by the Attorney General’s office and will therefore take a different approach to its TV output of this year’s service.
This means full live coverage of the memorial service will not be made available, however LFC TV will broadcast live and uninterrupted coverage of the initial part of the service from 2.40pm until approximately 3.10pm.
The whole service will then subsequently be broadcast delayed on LFC TV at 6.00pm and repeated later at 9.30pm.
Minute-by-minute descriptions and accompanying images will be published in real-time throughout the memorial service on the official Liverpool FC website.
A club statement on LFC TV’s approch to coverage of the service said: “The club is grateful to those who would normally watch the service live for their patience and understanding at this time, and appreciate the support of the Hillsborough Family Support Group with regards to LFC TV’s approach to coverage of the service.”
LFC TV is free-to-view on Sky channel 429 and Virgin Media 544, while all of the aforementioned coverage will be available completely free via the official website.
Alongside the memorial service, LFC TV’s coverage will include a pair of new programmes which have been produced in the lead-up to the poignant 25th anniversary of the tragedy at which 96 football supporters lost their lives.
‘With Hope In Our Hearts’ focuses on the relatives of the 96, featuring their personal memories of their loved ones and reflections on the impact Hillsborough has had on their families.
‘Hands Across the Park’ revisits how Liverpool as a city came together during the aftermath of Hillsborough – in particular the way in which Reds and Blues stood shoulder to shoulder in the face of tragedy, culminating in the all-Merseyside 1989 FA Cup final.
In addition to LFC TV’s day of special commemorative programmes, the BBC News Channel and Sky News will broadcast their own live coverage of the day’s events at Anfield from 2.00pm onwards.
The Hillsborough Family Support Group runs the memorial service every year and further information about the group’s work can be found via its official website – hfsg.co.uk.
Margaret Aspinall, who lost her son 18-year-old son James in the tragedy, is chair of the Hillsborough Family Support Group. “Every day we continue to remember those who lost their lives,” she said.
“During this 25th anniversary service we will turn on a light for each and every life that was extinguished prematurely and the eternal flame of the Hillsborough Memorial will continue to light our way through the darkest days.”
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| HILLSBOROUGH 25th ANNIVERSARY on LFC TV |
Tuesday 15th April
10:00 With Hope in Our Hearts
11:30 Parkhead ’89: The Fans’ Story
12:30 Hands Across the Park
13:30 With Hope in Our Hearts
14:40 The Hillsborough Memorial Service – Live
16:00 With Hope in Our Hearts
17:30 Hands Across the Park
18:00 The Hillsborough Memorial Service – Replay
20:00 With Hope in Our Hearts
21:30 The Hillsborough Memorial Service – Replay
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All programming free-to-view on on Sky 429, Virgin Media 544 & online via liverpoolfc.com
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