Award for Hillsborough families

The families of 96 Liverpool fans are set to be honoured

The families of those who died in the Hillsborough disaster are set to be honoured by the city of Liverpool.

Lord mayor Steve Rotheram revealed a list of people and organisations being considered for the city's honours list.

The relatives of the 96 Liverpool fans killed at Hillsborough are shortlisted, along with singer Gerry Marsden and charity campaigner Marina Dalglish.

Those shortlisted will receive one of three different honours which will be decided be at a meeting on 28 January.

'Immense contributions'

The Hillsborough families are in line for the Freedom Roll of Association, for their work supporting each other and members of the wider community affected by the tragedy.

The death of 96 Liverpool Football Club supporters at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final with Nottingham Forest has been described as Britain's worst sporting disaster.

Gerry Marsden has been nominated for his charity work

The proposed honours come as Liverpool bands, led by The Farm's Peter Hooton, revealed they are making a CD to mark the 20th anniversary of the tragedy.

President of the Hillsborough families' support group Trevor Hicks, whose two daughters died at Sheffield Wednesday's ground, said the recognition was welcomed.

"We get better at coping with it but sometimes you get caught off guard.

"I once said it was like living with a life sentence for me and the other families because in another 20 years we will still have to cope with Hillsborough. I lost all my children."

The mayor also recommended Mr Marsden be awarded the Freedom of the City for his charitable work, along with Wally Brown from Liverpool Community College for his services to education.

Mrs Dalglish, the wife of former Liverpool striker Kenny Dalglish, has been nominated as a Citizen of Honour for her work helping breast cancer patients in the city.

Among the organisations on the list are Tate Liverpool and the Merseyside Sea Cadets Corps.

Mr Rotheram said: "I am delighted, as Liverpool's first citizen, to be able to recommend to the council this list of organisations and individuals who have contributed so much to this city and continue to make immense contributions to our communities."