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Hillsborough 10 Ten Years On
Louise and her father, George talk about their loss of Andrew...
Andrew Brookes was one of the Liverpool supporters killed in the Hillsborough tragedy on 15th April 1989. For Louise Brookes, 16 years old at the time, the shock of the loss of her brother was devastating, "I lost my parents, I lost my family that day, I didn't just lose Andrew."
It was some years later when Louise decided to find out exactly what had happened to her brother. "I was looking through some paperwork and came across an old letter from the Hillsborough Family Support Group. I just got in my car and drove up the M6 to Liverpool to the meeting. I'd never been told where Andrew was found, all I knew was that he had died at a football match. I owed it to my brother to find out the truth. I know if I'd died in strange circumstances, my brother would have done it for me." Eventually, Louise found the man who had tried to resuscitate her brother.
George, Louise's father, was concerned about the emotional effect getting involved in the campaign might have on his daughter, but is proud of her. "She's very brave and she's worked tremendously hard and she'll see it through to the end. We all will, God willing."
Last year, Louise's cousin gave birth to a baby girl. "Since she's been born" says Louise "I feel I'm coming back to my family. I feel as if I've been on a journey for 9 years, and now I feel as if the baby has brought me back."
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