Scots mum and daughter join other survivors at benefit gig

A SCOTS mum and daughter who survived the Manchester suicide bombing returned to the city for the One Love concert – and to honour those killed in the atrocity.

Vicki McFarlane thought long and hard before bringing 10-year-old Kacey-Jai back. And, inevitably, Saturday’s terror attack in London caused the mum more soul-searching.

But she said: “It wasn’t an easy decision to make but I felt we had to come back down to try to make peace with things.

“I was quite nervous and scared and had a bit of a wobble, but I knew I couldn’t let it affect us. This is all about getting over our fears. We just wanted to be back with the people of Manchester.

“We want to honour the 22 who didn’t make it out of the Ariana Grande show.

“We can’t live our lives in fear of these cowards – we must carry on with our lives.”

Vicky believes she caught a glimpse of suicide bomber Salman Abedi before the blast at the Manchester Arena which killed 22 people a fortnight ago.

The 33-year-old taxi driver, from Ellon, Aberdeenshire, is tormented by the thought of spotting the terrorist hanging around the foyer.

But she had to make a pilgrimage back to Manchester to show her respects for the dead.

Before the benefit concert, Vicky and Kacey-Jai took some time to remember

We have to show we are not afraid and they won’t bring us down VICKY COLEMAN

the victims. The mum said: “We laid flowers at Victoria Station for those who couldn’t get out.”

She and Kacey-Jai also visited the city’s St Ann’s Square which has been turned into a temporary memorial and has become a poignant symbol of Manchester’s collective response.

Vicky added: “It was really hard seeing that but my daughter was keen to come down and lay some flowers.”

She praised the people of Manchester for their sense of unity.

Vicky added: “There is very much a united front here. The atmosphere is just amazing.

“Now we can hopefully find some peace.”

If Vicky’s decision to come was hard, it was harder still for those injured in the bombing.

Some still wore bandages and plaster casts – and their emotional scars will take a long time to heal. But their courage shamed the terrorists who seek to blight their lives with fear.

Ella McGovern, 14, was two steps away from becoming bomber Abedi’s 23rd victim. She suffered terrible leg injuries in the attack but she was determined to be among the 50,000strong crowd at the One Love concert at the Old Trafford cricket ground.

The schoolgirl, from Lancashire, said: “I knew I had to be here. I wanted to show my respect for the others – the people who died.

“It’s important to stand up to the terrorists, not to let them win.”

Ella’s mum Louise, 39, said: “I’m so proud of her. It was totally her own decision to come and I think it will help.

“Arriving was difficult. The last time she was in such an environment, it ended in tragedy. It’s still hard for her to walk and she’s already tired but the atmosphere is very happy and positive.”

Armed police who surrounded the venue took time to pose for photos with revellers and smiling mounted officers let fans pet their horses.

Sisters Olivia and Emily Pimblett, aged 12 and 16, were also caught up in the suicide bombing.

But the pair – like so many others – insisted it would not stop them attending concerts.

Emily said: “That’s what terrorists want and I won’t let them win.”

Georgia Thompson, 14, from South Shields, Tyne and Wear, said: “We were