More Than a Number: Personal tributes to the 96
As the jury at the Hillsborough inquests prepares to return its verdicts on Tuesday, read and watch personal tributes by those who knew best the 96 supporters who lost their lives on April 15, 1989.
At the start of the new inquests into the deaths at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, two years ago, the families of those who died were asked to write and read out short personal portraits of each of the victims.
These touching personal tributes serve as a reminder that those whose lives were tragically cut short as a result of the events 27 years ago, though known collectively as ‘The 96’, were more than a number.
Text versions of all the ‘Pen Portraits’ are presented in web pages launched last year that are dedicated to the memory of the Hillsborough victims – click here to view.
LFCTV also aimed to give the bereaved families the opportunity to read their loved ones’ Pen Portraits to camera, and had direct contact with almost 90 families in attempting to get in touch with each author.
Almost 80 of them chose to either record their tribute with the channel or gave their permission for footage previously recorded with the BBC to be used, meaning many of the web pages housing a Pen Portrait feature a video of a reading by family members.
These recordings were incorporated into a programme titled ‘More Than a Number’, which can be watched below.