A permanent tribute to the survivors of Hillsborough will be unveiled in Liverpool this weekend.

The special commemorative plaque, donated by the family of the late campaigner Anne Williams, will be unveiled at Central Station on Sunday afternoon at 2pm.

The plaque honours the survivors of the 1989 disaster which saw 96 Liverpool supporters unlawfully killed, and pays tribute to the thousands of fans who tried to help save lives on the day and who have supported the long campaign for justice since.

After losing her 15-year-old son Kevin at Hillsborough, the Formby mum became a leading campaigner in the decades-long search to uncover the truth.

She was diagnosed with cancer just weeks after the watershed publication of the Hillsborough Independent Panel report in September 2012 and passed away peacefully the following April.

Her daughter Sara and brother Danny Gordon carried on her case through the new inquests in Warrington which concluded in April 2016 with a verdict of unlawful killing.

In accordance with her wishes, Mr Gordon commissioned a commemorative bronze piece after discussing the design and details with survivors and families.

His main aim was for it to be placed in a community environment and, after being contacted about Danny’s story, Merseyrail agreed to install it at Liverpool Central, its flagship station, where it will be unveiled by Anne’s family and friends on Sunday, with members of the public also invited to attend.

Mr Gordon told the ECHO: “Anne was a dedicated supporter of the survivors and always said they tried to save her little boy, so this was her last legacy.

“Being from Formby, she regularly got the train to Liverpool Central to attend her meetings for justice in town, so it’s really special to have it there.

“The plaque was her way of recognising all the suffering and trauma they have been through, and are still going through, and to thank them for the help they gave to others, on that terrible day.

“We would like to thank everyone who has helped make this happen, in particular the Merseytravel directors, Merseyrail MD Jan Chaudhry-van der Velde, Commercial Director David O’leary and all the other Merseyrail directors, with a special thank you to Area Station Manager Nikki Murphy; also, our legal team Pete and Elkan and staff from Broudie Jackson Canter, as well as George Harris and sons David and Paul from Merseyside Castings who made the plaque for us.

“We hope this tribute will give the survivors some small comfort knowing they will never be forgotten.”

Anne’s daughter Sara added: “It is such a lovely idea and we’re so happy it is now happening.

“We are really pleased and proud that Stevie Hart and Tony O’Keefe, who both tried to help our Kev on the day and have always been such wonderful friends and supporters to us, will be unveiling the plaque.

“We have always known the survivors are the heroes of Hillsborough and that without their brave efforts many more people would have lost their lives.

“Their contribution on the day and over the many years we have been fighting together for truth, justice and accountability has been vital and meant so much to us, and it is only right they should be publicly recognised.”

Jan Chaudhry-van der Velde, Merseyrail managing director until he left for a new role with a parent company last week, said: “We want to help respect Anne’s last wishes and the plaque will act as a permanent reminder of that tragic day in Liverpool’s history.

“It will be seen by hundreds of thousands of passengers, who will be able to pay tribute to the survivors, which is exactly what she would have wanted.”

* The book Anne started to write, With Hope In Her Heart, was completed by her daughter Sara and published by the ECHO's sister company Trinity Mirror Sports Media (read the ECHO's serialisations from the book here). It is still available on Kindle (£1.99) here