AN EVENING to discuss and debate the murder of Sophie Lancaster will be held at her former school.

In response to a request from Sylvia, Sophie’s mother, a fundraising event has been organised and will take place at Haslingden High School, where the tables will be turned on journalist Catherine Smyth, author of ‘Weirdo Mosher Freak’, which documents the murder.

Ms Smyth said: “Last year I led an interview with the author Denise Beddows about her book ‘Odd Man Out - a Motiveless Murder’.

"That detailed a murder that happened 70 years ago. Maggie Allen confessed and was later hanged for the murder of Nancy Chadwick.

“I was tasked to examine the book and put questions to the author in front of an audience at Rawtenstall Cricket Club.”

It was Tony Winder, the director of Antony and Patricia Salon in Rawtenstall that had organised the Denise Beddows' evening, and it eventually led to the materialisation of the evening that will be held in June.

He said: “Shortly after the Denise Beddow's event, while Sylvia was having her hair done, we were discussing the evening and she said, ‘I wish someone would do that about our Soph.’ "That was the catalyst which has led to June’s event being organised.”

In the audience for the Denise Beddows’ interview was Garry Gluyas, who was brought up in Rossendale, and is a good friend of Tony.

He has agreed to conduct the interview and has been examining Catherine’s book, both the original 2010 ‘Weirdo Mosher Freak’ and the updated 2016 version ‘The Sophie Lancaster Story.’

Ms Smyth said: “This time I will be the person being interviewed and for me it will be strange not to be putting the questions.

“I was the news editor of the Rossendale Free Press at the time of the attack in August 2007 which resulted in Sophie’s murder 13 days later.

“As I only lived two miles from the park and Bacup was ‘my patch’, I was informed about the incident by a friend before statements had been released by the police.

“I followed the case closely and got involved with fundraising because I was annoyed that such a senseless act had happened on my doorstep.”

Tony, Catherine, Garry and Sylvia have collaborated to arrange the evening.

Sylvia will set the scene by describing her daughter and both Sylvia and Catherine will be answering questions from the audience

Sylvia said: “If you don’t talk about things you don’t learn from them. We have to look at why this happened and how it came about so that lessons are learnt to stop it ever occurring again.”

All profits from the evening will benefit The Sophie Lancaster Foundation.

The event will take place on June 3 at 7pm and tickets costing £5 are on sale in the Antony & Patricia Salon, Rawtenstall, 01706 217129.