Dad of Elle Edwards shares message of hope and friendship in new documentary

The father of a woman who was killed on Christmas Eve is aiming to spread a message of hope and friendship with a new documentary.

26-year-old Elle Edwards was shot dead outside The Lighthouse Inn in Wallasey Village on Christmas Eve 2022.

Celebrating the festive period with her friends and family, the beautician was an innocent bystander in a ‘gang revenge’ shooting outside the pub, when Connor Chapman opened fire with a Skorpion sub-machine gun on a crowd of people just before midnight.

Twelve shots were fired and Ms Edwards died almost instantly. The intended targets Kieran Salkeld and Jake Duffy were also hit, but survived.

In July 2023, Chapman was jailed for life with a minimum term of 48 years for Elle’s murder, and Thomas Waring was convicted of possession of a prohibited firearm and assisting an offender and sentenced to nine years in prison.

Just days after Elle’s tragic murder, her devastated father Tim Edwards got in touch with Liverpool actor and comedian John May, who was preparing to walk from Lands End to John O’Groats as part of a campaign to end gun and knife crime.

Mr Edwards, 53, joined him for the walk, initially just to “get out of town”, but ended up accompanying him all the way to the top of Scotland, later travelling down south to complete the first leg of the walk.

Two years on, a powerful documentary titled The Two Of Us is to be screened at the Raindance Film Festival, which starts in London on Wednesday (June 18).

Mr Edwards said: “You’ll see that when times get really tough, as long you keep going and you keep having that little bit of hope and a bit of strength behind you, and the willingness to carry on and never give up, then you will come out alright the other side.”

Mr May, 43, who produced the feature-length documentary, said he hoped people would be inspired, adding: “It’s about brotherhood more than anything.”

Throughout the walk, Mr Edwards said he felt there were signs from his daughter – including a white dove which followed him as he walked around Ripon Cathedral one morning.

Mr Edwards said: “You grab on to different signs that you hope is Elle watching over you. it was things like, there were always doves would randomly turn up or I’d be feeling a bit low and I’d be like ‘give us a sign Elle will you, give me something to pick me up’ and there’d always something random would appear. ”

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Directed by Owen Ward, the film has been nominated for best documentary feature and best UK cinematography awards at the Raindance festival.

Writing about the nominations on social media, John May said: “This isn’t just another walking film. It’s a raw, emotional story about grief, hope, men’s mental health and friendship.

“About two fellas, both struggling in different ways, who found strength by leaning on each other — and kept putting one foot in front of the other. To be recognised by Raindance — the UK’s biggest independent film festival — and to be nominated… we’re blown away.”

He added: “This is for you Elle.”

Director Owen Ward added: “If you’re coming in for a true crime documentary, go see something else because that’s not what it is. It’s about how victims of these horrible crimes carry on in the aftermath.

“It’s giving that sense of hope, of inspiration. If Tim can get through this horrible circumstance, you can get through anything. That’s ultimately what it is, it’s a film about hope.”

The documentary is accompanied by music from composer Patrick Bennett, 20, who has created Elle’s Theme, which plays throughout. For Elle’s dad, the documentary is part of his aim to create a positive legacy for his daughter.

He said: “It was always about keeping Elle’s name alive. So whenever Elle’s name was mentioned, it would be mentioned in a positive way and not about what happened to her. That was the goal and still is, it will always be the goal.”

The Elle Edwards Foundation continues to raise awareness about and gun and knife crime, and ensure Elle’s name will never be forgotten