Haila Abdullah, who had 103 grandchildren and great-grandchildren, touched the lives of countless people on Merseyside
A nan to 103 grandchildren and great-grandchildren has died after touching the lives of countless people on Merseyside. Haila Abdullah moved to the UK from Yemen in 1966, spending a few years in Warrington before settling in Liverpool. She died at the age of 90 last Saturday, October 12.
Her heartbroken granddaughter, Yemeni-Scouse poet Amina Atiq, said: “There were hundreds of family members at her funeral. It was really emotional. She’s created an army of Scousers. She has 103 grandkids and great grandkids.”
For many years, Haila ran a newsagents on Lawrence Road in Wavertree. After her husband died in 1983, Haila was left to bring up her seven children alone, as well as running the shop.
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Amina, who lives in Toxteth, told the ECHO: “She loved working in the shop. Customers become like your family – you get to know everyone in the local community. It’s like an ice-breaker. It really gave her a sense of pride, as an immigrant, setting up a successful business.
“She was able to connect with her neighbours and share Yemeni food and culture with them. Her friends came to eat Yemeni food, and they invited her to eat fish and chips.”
Haila was unable to read and write, but this didn’t stop her from getting on in life. “She was illiterate,” explained Amina, “but she memorised everything. She understood bills and had good life skills. She was a very independent woman. I strive to be like her, to have her kindness and strength.”
According to Amina, Haila was proud to be a ‘Yemeni-Scouser’ and didn’t feel homesick for Yemen. “You can get everything here from Yemen in terms of spices and coffee, and our community is so strong here.
“She loved it here. She would say, ‘look at the kindness of this country, look how I can live and access healthcare’. She was appreciative of that at her age. She was part of a place she felt was home. She was also really fond of the Queen and had a photo of her next to my granddad Ali’s photo in the newsagents.”
Many ‘Yemeni-Scouse’ elders who helped found the Yemeni community in Toxteth and Wavertree are sadly dying now. Amina is working to ensure their stories aren’t lost.
She said: “After Covid, a lot of my grandma’s generation passed away. I don’t want those stories lost. That generation worked so hard. They worked right through the Toxteth Riots and other historic events.
“We tend to forget the Yemeni community because they keep themselves to themselves and don’t want trouble or to make a fuss. But we don’t want to be the invisible community forever.”
Haila has left a remarkable legacy, creating four generations of Yemeni-Scousers. Amina’s cousins work in law, healthcare and business, using their nan’s tremendous work ethic as an example. Amina says she looked around the room at her nan’s funeral and felt great pride. A family member told her: “Look what she’s created. We fill the whole room.”
