£11,000 payout for our lovely Saffie’s life is a complete insult
Anguish of Manchester bomb victim’s mum
LISA ROUSSOS ON LAUNCH OF CHARITY THE parents of the youngest victim of the Manchester Arena bombing said the Government’s £11,000 compensation offer was a “complete insult”.
Saffie Roussos, eight, was among 22 people killed outside the Ariana Grande concert in May, 2017.
Parents Lisa and Andrew Roussos are launching a charity to help support families affected by terror attacks.
Saffie was at the concert with
Lisa and her sister Ashlee Bromwich, 28, when crazed
Salman Abedi detonated his devastating device.
The couple revealed they had been offered
£5,500 each from the Government after
Saffie’s death. Lisa said:
“That’s the maximum.
It’s a complete insult.”
Now Lisa is taking part in the Great Manchester Run tomorrow to launch charity
MCR 22, after overcoming injuries she suffered in the blast and learning to walk again.
She will attempt the
10km route along with members of the medical team who have looked after her.
Lisa spent six weeks in a coma and only learned of her daughter’s death when she regained consciousness, with
Andrew at her side.
She told the Sunday
Mirror: “Andrew was holding my hand. I recall thinking, ‘why is he not mentioning Saffie?’ Call it a mother’s intuition, but I just knew. I said to him, ‘she’s gone, isn’t she?’ and he said ‘yes’.”
Asked about the charity, she said: “I just have this overwhelming need for something positive to come out of something so terribly awful. You live for your children, so, when one is gone, how can you ever be happy again? Some days I don’t know how to carry on. But my other children deserve to be happy and that keeps me going.” Of the moment of the blast, she says: “I remember hitting the floor. Bang – and I just lay there. I was paralysed. All I could think of was my daughters. I’d been holding Saffie’s hand as we were leaving.
“I tried my hardest to move, but I couldn’t. I said to myself, ‘just keep your eyes open’. I think I was going in and out of consciousness. My thoughts couldn’t go beyond Ashlee and Saffie. “Then I’m lying in hospital and somebody is cutting off my jeans. “Then, that’s it. Until I woke six weeks later.” Lisa, who also has son Xander, 13, still bears the scars from shrapnel that tore into her and had to learn to walk again. Her right hand was reconstructed and has nerve damage. The Ministry of Justice said: “No amount of money can compensate for the loss of a loved one, but payments from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme aim to address the mental and physical impact of such a tragedy.” The bereavement payments are capped at £11,000. Bereaved families, injured victims and those suffering psychological trauma also received some of £20million raised by We Love Manchester. Of tomorrow’s event, Lisa said: “I’m very nervous about the Great Manchester Run. “I haven’t walked anywhere near as far as 10k. But having something to focus on has given me a purpose. Saffie would think it was great. She’d want to do it, too.” Saffie, top, and Lisa and Andrew
I need something positive to come from something so awful