Anne Williams

Anne Elizabeth Williams (née Meath; 6 February 1951 – 18 April 2013) was a campaigner for the victims of the Hillsborough disaster of 1989, in which 97 Liverpool football fans, including her son Kevin Williams, died at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield.

Hillsborough Williams fought hard for a new inquiry into the Hillsborough disaster of 1989, her actions being prompted by the death of her own son Kevin at Hillsborough, who had been crushed to death in the disaster, aged 15. She levelled several legal attacks at the first Hillsborough inquest, questioning the credibility of its findings. She formed a pressure group "Hope For Hillsborough", subsequently merging it into the "Hillsborough Justice Campaign", eventually becoming chair of the latter.

Judith Moritz, a journalist for the BBC, said that although Williams had no legal training, to talk to her, one would have thought that she had trained for years.

Personal life

Williams was born at Formby on 6 February 1951. Alan Hansen, who had been playing for Liverpool on the day of the tragedy, presented the award to Anne's brother Danny, her son Michael and daughter Sara. She received a standing ovation from the audience.

In media Williams was portrayed by Maxine Peake in the eponymous ITV drama Anne, which aired in January 2022. Writing in The Guardian, Jack Seale described the performance as "Almost unwatchably intense".