Elle Edwards: Shooting victim's family urge people to live with hope

Elle Edwards, 26, died shortly before midnight on 24 December

The grandfather of Merseyside shooting victim Elle Edwards has urged family and friends to live on with "hope" as they gathered for her funeral.

The 26-year-old died after a gunman opened fire at the Lighthouse pub in Wallasey Village on Christmas Eve.

She was merely a bystander and not the intended target, police said.

The vicar at the service at St Nicholas' Church said Ms Edwards' grandfather George wanted everyone to "leave with hope in our hearts".

Reverend Jeff Staples said: "George hit the nail on the head. We must do that for ourselves and for the communities we live in - let us be people of hope."

He told how Ms Edwards, a beautician, had "laughed and joked and enjoyed" life.

Flowers topped the coffin as it was carried into the church

"Many of you, if not all, will be going through a whole range of emotions, sadness and grief obviously, maybe anger, or fear or anxiety, shock or bewilderment," he said.

"We are emotionally in a kind of fuzz, where nothing feels solid, nothing feels stable.

"We don't know whether to laugh or cry, to shout or be silent, so it's important that we find stillness, calm, peace."

The service included the hymn Be Still for the Presence of the Lord while a eulogy, Remembering Elle, was given.

Mourners were asked for donations to the Elle Edwards Foundation in her memory.

Her father Tim last week said he hoped a charitable foundation could help combat gun violence in the region.

At the scene

Daniel O'Donoghue, BBC News

The funeral cortege involved a horse drawn carriage and the horses had red, pink and white plumes

Traffic stopped and silence fell among the mourners lining the streets as Elle's funeral cortege pulled into the church grounds.

The church - just a five-minute walk from the Lighthouse pub - previously offered support sessions to anyone directly affected in the aftermath of the killing.

Today the building once again became the focal point for a community still struggling to make sense of events.

The message within was one of hope and praise for those who had tried to save Elle and support her family.

As the hundreds of mourners left, they carried that message with them, embracing each other and members of Elle's family who waited in the churchyard.

Her father stood strong, thanking those who had turned out to say farewell to his daughter.

Tears were masked by rain, on a day the wider Wirral community will never forget.

Mr Staples said: "How true is that, if we lose hope then the darkness of evil has gained a victory.

"All of us have been touched by darkness in these past weeks at one level or another, it is just as Tim [Elle's father] said, what happened on Christmas Eve affected so many people and it continues to do so.

"We were all touched by the darkness of evil yet the light of hope shines even in the deepest darkness, in the goodness of those who were able to act to try and save Elle, she was not abandoned to the darkness."

Elle Edwards' father, Tim Edwards said his daughter was "the most beautiful and bright star"

The Lighthouse pub was closed earlier as a mark of respect.

A statement on the pub's Facebook page said: "Elle and her family have remained very much in our thoughts over these past few weeks and even more so right now. May she rest in peace."

Connor Chapman, 22, has been charged with murdering Ms Edwards and is due to go on trial on 7 June.

Paying tribute after his daughter's death, Mr Edwards said she was "the most beautiful and bright star".

Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to [e-mail]