Sefton is mourning the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
The Queen died peacefully at her home in Balmoral yesterday (September 8), with her son Charles and daughter Anne at her bedside. The nation has now entered 10 days of national mourning, ending when her funeral is held.
Sefton Council has expressed "great sadness" following the death of Britain's longest reigning Monarch. In her memory, a number of books of condolence will be available for the public to sign at Bootle Town Hall and the Atkinson in Southport from 9am to 5pm today (September 9).
READ MORE: Everything cancelled or closed following the Queen's death - from shops to football
As a mark of respect, all flags at Sefton Council buildings and assets across the borough have been lowered to half-mast. Areas outside Bootle Town Hall and the Princess Diana Memorial Gardens on Lord Street, Southport have been designated as places where residents can leave floral tributes in memory of Her Majesty the Queen, which will remain in place until after the state funeral.
For Sefton residents who cannot access the online book of remembrance, printed Condolence Cards will be available from all Sefton Libraries and Family Wellbeing Centres. These can be filled in by hand and either returned to one of the libraries or family wellbeing centres or can be posted back to either Southport or Bootle Town Halls.
An online book of remembrance has also been made available by Buckingham Palace and will soon be available via the Sefton Council website www.sefton.gov.uk
Mayor of Sefton, Cllr Clare Carragher said: "It is with great sadness that we have announced the death of Her Majesty the Queen. There will be an official ten days of mourning and during this period I am sure most of us will reflect on her wonderful life and think of any lasting memories of her majesty who was a great monarch and highly regarded across the world.
"While we all deal with loss differently, we can remember the Queen fondly and look back at the many occasions she visited our wonderful borough and touched the lives of so many."
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