THE funeral of murdered Liverpool schoolboy Rhys Jones will be held at the city’s Anglican Cathedral next week.
The cathedral will today announce details of the 11-year-old’s funeral, expected to be held on Thursday afternoon.
Locals say they hope Rhys’s heroes, the Everton football team, might attend the service led by manager David Moyes, but that was unconfirmed yesterday.
Ahead of the funeral, a vigil will be held this weekend in memory of the schoolboy who was gunned down as he walked home from a football game near his home in Croxteth Park.
Thousands are expected to attend the event, to be held in front of Croxteth Hall, at Croxteth Country Park, at 4pm on Sunday.
Rhys’s parents Melanie and Stephen Jones will light a candle in memory of their son.
The Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Cllr Paul Clark, will be giving one of the readings at the vigil. Last night, he said: “The community vigil is an opportunity for people to come together and remember the life of a tremendously likeable, talented and friendly young man whose tragic death has devastated everyone who knew him.”
The Bishop of Liverpool, the Rt Rev James Jones, said: “On behalf of all the church leaders and the leaders of our faith communities, we call on all people of goodwill to join the vigil to remember Rhys and all young victims of violence, to make our streets and parks safe for our children, to call forward any with any information about the killing of Rhys and to support Rhys’s family.”
Chief Constable of Merseyside Police, Bernard Hogan-Howe, said: “The vigil on Sunday will give members of the community a chance to show their sympathy and support. By standing together, we are stronger than the sum of our parts.
“Those who have evidence are not in isolation and this may encourage them to come forward.”
A 15-year-old boy who was arrested on suspicion of murder on Tuesday was released on bail yesterday.
Rhys’s parents revisited the scene of their son’s murder yesterday.
Melanie Jones, 41, and husband, Stephen, 44, spent time looking at flowers and reading messages from members of the public at a shrine outside the Fir Tree.
Meanwhile, a group has been set up on social networking site Facebook petitioning for the new Everton stadium to be named after Rhys, with members suggesting that at least the naming of a stand after him would be a fitting tribute.
MEMBERS of the public are invited to attend Sunday’s vigil, which will be held in front of Croxteth Hall.
People who live locally are being advised to walk to the event, as car parking is limited to 1,000 vehicles.
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