M.E.N. COMMENT

THE sun shone on Manchester yesterday. Actually, it beamed down. Typical Manchester. On a day celebrating everything Mancunian, in a city famous for its rain, we saw beautiful blue skies and heat that could crack flagstones.

Defying expectations is one of the things Manchester is best at. Being typically untypical.

It’s easy to be cynical about Manchester Day. But yesterday felt different. Yesterday, celebrating our city was more important than ever.

The annual festival had much of the usual – and very welcome it was too in these most unusual of times.

The smiling joyous faces, the dancing, the humour, the colour, camaraderie and confidence, the noise of a bustling proud city celebrating life and paying tribute.

Beneath the endless clear blue skies, warm pavement underfoot, the events of May 22 could have felt very far away.

And yet that darkest of nights was ever present in the thoughts of those basking in the brilliant sunshine.

Everywhere there were reminders of, and moving tributes to, those we’ve lost. Those who went to a concert at the Manchester Arena and never came home.

There were the 22 Scouts wearing ‘We Love Manchester’ T-shirts, who paid a heartfelt tribute to our heroic emergency services. A paramedic who was in the first ambulance on the scene that awful night described the tribute as ‘humbling’.

The children led the parade holding a banner saying ‘Manchester remembers 22.05.17’ and carried balloons.

And there were bees everywhere. Bees on T-shirts, bees on wristbands, on balloons, on hats, on banners, on posters. The symbol of Manchester’s pride, resilience and strength has been an everpresent sight over the last difficult few weeks. It serves as both reassurance and reminder. Movingly, there were queues of people lining up in the searing sunshine to have their photographs taken next to the armed police officers who were there to protect them.

Pride in your city is just a feeling, not a concrete, practical day-to-day matter, the cynic says. It does no real good, they say.

Yesterday, those voices were silent. Silent because our unity and pride had been tested and Manchester had responded stunningly.

So, instead there was a city united. It was mourning but healing; it was hurt but strong; it was full of love and defiance and joy and sorrow all at the same time.

And it was the perfect answer to those that seek to divide us.

It was typical Manchester.