The Chronicle

Parents turning their tragedy into hope for others

AWARD FOR THOSE WHO LOST CHILDREN IN BOMBING

- By CHRIS KNIGHT Reporter christophe­r.knight@trinitymir­ror.com @C_M_Knight

THEIR lives were changed forever when a suicide bomber robbed them of their precious children.

But in the 10 months since Liam Curry and Chloe Rutherford were killed their families have worked tirelessly to turn tragedy into hope.

South Shields came together to mourn the teenage couple who were among the 22 to lose their lives in the Manchester Arena bombing last May.

And in the face of unthinkabl­e grief and ‘overwhelmi­ng’ support, Chloe and Liam’s loving parents have fought through their heartbreak to create a lasting legacy celebratin­g their children’s lives. The Together Forever Trust provides support to talented youngsters as they explore their passions in music and sport.

And for showing courage in the face of adversity, parents Lisa and Mark Rutherford and Caroline Curry have been selected by our panel to receive the Special Recognitio­n prize at our Pride of the North East Awards.

Chloe’s mum Lisa has thanked the community for their continuing support and believes the teenagers would be ‘proud’ of the trust’s achievemen­ts so far.

The 46-year-old said: “We’re in a position that the kids are never forgotten and although their ambitions were torn away from them, somebody else’s children will hopefully be able to fulfil their potential and that’s because of Chloe and Liam.

“Winning this award is going to help get the word out to many more people. We feel the kids would be really proud with what we have achieved and that the

The community just wanted to give so much we were almost in a situation where we needed to do something

 ??  ?? Together Forever wristbands
Together Forever wristbands
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