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Hillsborough: Mother writes book to celebrate daughters' lives

BBC Jenni HicksBBC
Jenni Hicks said it was a privilege to be the mother of her two daughters

A mother whose two daughters died in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster has written a book to ensure they do not become "just two names on a memorial".

Sarah, 19, and Victoria Hicks, 15, were killed along with 95 others as a result of a crush at an FA Cup semi-final.

Their mother Jenni Hicks said a lot had been written about their deaths but she wanted people to know more about her daughters and celebrate their lives.

"They were beautiful, kind, funny," she told BBC Breakfast.

"They had their moments like all teenagers but they were lovely girls."

Ninety-seven Liverpool fans were killed after the crush developed at the Hillsborough stadium in Sheffield during the match against Nottingham Forest.

It remains the UK's worst sporting disaster with a jury at an inquest later ruling that they were unlawfully killed.

Ms Hicks said: "It doesn't help that we have had to fight first of all for the truth about not just my daughters' death but the other 95 deaths.

"And it took 24 years to actually have that truth.

"The wounds stay open because you're fighting for truth and hopefully accountability will follow that truth and in the case of Hillsborough it hasn't."

The book titled One Day in April tells the story of Ms Hicks' journey as she navigated grief following her daughters' deaths.

Family handout Victoria Hicks (left) and Sarah Hicks (right)Family handout
Victoria and Sarah Hicks died in the UK's worst sporting disaster

"The answer is I don't know how I've coped as there's no magic wand that you can wave, if you do this or do that," she said.

"It's different things to different people."

But she also opens up about what happened before that fateful day, sharing an insight into her two daughters' lives, who she described as the "loves of her life".

She said: "One of the reasons for writing my book was to celebrate my daughters' lives.

"There's been a lot of documentation about their deaths because it's 33 years now.

"So I thought rather than being just two names on a memorial I'd like people to know about my daughters."

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