Manchester bombing
“Olivia is always smiling down on us”
Eagerly texting her mum as she waited for her idol, Ariana Grande, to appear on stage at Manchester Arena, 15-year- old Olivia Campbell could barely contain her excitement. The teen had spent all day getting ready, singing along to the pop star’s songs around the house. Tragically, just hours after sending her mum, Charlotte Hardy, 37, the message that she was having an “amazing” time, Olivia was killed in the deadliest terror attack in the UK since 7/7.
Now, a year on, Charlotte says she still thinks about Olivia every day, but is determined to find hope for the future.
Charlotte, who lives in Bury with her partner Paul, 48, and is also mum to Catriona, 18, and stepchildren, Daniel, 26, Chelsea, 19, and Colin, 17, says, “This year has been incredibly tough. I still can’t believe that my little girl has gone and I mourn her every day. But I know she’d want us to be happy – even in the most heartbreaking of times.”
The bomb, which claimed the lives of 22 people – including eight children – and injured 119, went off at 10.35pm on 22 May, near an exit at the 21,000-capacity arena. The youngest victim, Saffie Rose Roussos, was just eight years old and her mother, Lisa, 48 – who was left in a coma – didn’t discover she was dead until she regained consciousness in June.
STRUGGLE
Islamic State claimed responsibility for the hideous attack, carried out by Britishborn Manchester resident, Salman Abedi, 22, who died at the scene.
The last time Charlotte saw her daughter alive was when she left the house with her friend, Adam, to head to the station. After hearing about the bomb, she searched every street and hospital in the area. However, at 10.30pm the next day, the police called to say they’d found Olivia’s body in the arena.
Charlotte says, “I was so angry, I screamed and lashed out at my partner. And I cried so much that I thought it would never end.”
And Charlotte still struggles to accept that Olivia won’t be coming home. She says, “The worst part about losing Olivia is not seeing her every day. Now the house is so quiet without her, it’s hard to adjust to the silence. There are photos of her everywhere and I often cuddle her teddies and dressing gown to feel close to her. It’s hard to keep living in the same place after everything that’s happened, but it would be harder to leave behind all the great times that we had here.”
DEVASTATED
But although Charlotte is still angry at Olivia’s killer, she is now focused on making new happy memories for the future.
She explains, “Paul and I had always planned on getting married, but kept putting it off. But losing Olivia made me realise that you need to seize every day – so, on 25 November, we tied the knot. Olivia would have been so excited. It was a magical day. Her best friend, Adam, walked me down the aisle and we played a recording of Olivia singing John Legend’s All Of Me during our first dance – she’d always loved singing. It felt like she was there with us – we were all in tears.”
Just three days later, the couple celebrated Olivia’s 16th
birthday, while on honeymoon in Lanzarote. Charlotte says, “I was devastated that Olivia wasn’t there to get excited. But we went down to the beach and released some balloons in her memory.”
NEW GENERATION
The family is also finding hope in a new generation. For, alongside her grandson, Thomas, one, Charlotte is also expecting another grandchild.
She says, “Olivia and Thomas are so alike – he even sucks his thumb and is cheeky just like she was. She was a brilliant auntie and I know she would have loved the new baby. But we’re going to make sure that they both remember Auntie Olivia. We’ll talk about her all the time and we’ve also got them both teddies that play a recording of Olivia singing when you press their bellies. She’ll always be smiling down on us.”
As the day of the anniversary approaches, Charlotte is encouraging people to embrace life. She says, “We’re going to lay some flowers at the arena, then we’ll spend the rest of the day with family and friends.
“The anniversary will be hard for everyone in Manchester, but I know we’ll pull together and stay strong. People should make it a happy day. Everyone at Ariana’s concert was there for a good time and that’s how we should remember it.”
❛ THE HOUSE IS SO QUIET WITHOUT HER – IT’S HARD TO ADJUST TO THE SILENCE ❜