Fife families will return to Manchester to mark anniversary of tragedy

Mums and daughters who were at gig look for ‘closure’

Two Fife girls caught up in the terror attack at Manchester Arena are to return to the city one year on.

Lorraine Ness, 10, from Dunfermline and Rosyth teenager Leigh Tilley, 18, were just two of those affected by the aftermath of the bombing on May 22 last year.

The atrocity claimed the lives of 23 people and injured more than 800 others when a homemade bomb was detonated as an Ariana Grande concert was coming to a close.

Fife College photography student Leigh will return to Manchester for the first anniversary of the tragedy, along with many other survivors. She said: “There’s not a day goes by when I don’t think about what happened. It may get easier in time but I will never forget it.

“Lorraine said she would never go to a concert again but we had tickets for other gigs already booked.

“The first one we went to was Miranda Sings at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh in September. Any time there is a noise, though, you jump; but we have been able to enjoy the concerts, too, and Lorraine has been the happiest I’ve seen her.”

When the bomb went off, the pair were still in the building. Panic ensued as they tried to find their parents outside. Mums Nicola Fitzpatrick and Alyson Smith say they have been emotionally affected, like so many other parents who were waiting outside that night.

Lorraine’s mum Alyson said: “I wasn’t sure about them going to another concert but you’ve got to let them live their lives. There was a worry there and the thing is, we can’t tell them it will never happen again because you just never know.

“Lorraine is very young so I’ve had to keep an eye on her. At first, she wouldn’t speak about the incident at all but now if she sees something on the TV she’ll ask so many questions.”

Alyson added: “I think we’ve realised how huge the bombing was for the UK and the world and it is strange to think we were caught up in it.”

The two girls, alongside their mums, are to go to Manchester to mark the one-year anniversary next Tuesday.

Nicola said: “We think that’s important, that we come together with everybody on the day.

“We’ve not spoken to anyone who has gone through the same thing as us and I think it will bring us some closure.”

Picture: Getty Images. US singer and actress Ariana Grande.