Starry, innocent pop fan taken too early – like so many others
Teenager named among the victims of music concert suicide bombing on day of fear and worry for families of Manchester’s missing
GEORGINA CALLANDER could barely contain her emotions. “So excited to see you tomorrow,” she posted on Twitter, 24 hours before the Ariana Grande concert. The 18-year-old was a self-proclaimed “superfan” of the American singer and had met her at a specially arranged event two years previously.
A photograph taken on that occasion shows Georgina, known as Gina to her friends and family, grinning with her arms wrapped around her pop idol.
Like so many other children and teenagers, this was supposed to have been a highlight of their young lives. For Georgina and many others, a suicide bomber would take away their lives all too early.
Georgina, from Hesketh Bank, near Preston, Lancs, was the first victim named, her death confirmed by messages of condolence posted by her friends and her sixth form college.
The picture she had posted of herself in 2015, taken at the same venue as Monday night’s atrocity, shows an innocent, happy teenager. She is wearing spectacles and her braces gleam in the flash of the camera.
“My meet-and-greet photos came through, she was so cute and lovely, I hugged her so tight and she said she loved my bow. I can’t get over this, I never will,” she wrote of Grande on Instagram, the social media app.
Friends of Georgina, a keen footballer with Bolton Wanderers women’s team who was studying health and social care at Runshaw College in Preston, described her as “a beautiful girl with the kindest heart and soul”.
Daisy Gill, who was at the concert with her, posted a photograph of the pair together and wrote on Twitter: “Rest in piece Gina my angel, we were both having such an incredible evening and I can’t believe it ended this way.”
Another friend, Sophie Marsh, wrote: “To my beautiful best friend, I hope you rest in peace my darling. I love you so much and will always miss you.”
Georgina’s parents, Simon, a plasterer, and Lesley, and her brothers Harry and Daniel, were too devastated to speak at the family home. Reports suggested her mother had been at her bedside when she died.
Georgina’s Instagram, Facebook and Twitter accounts showed her with other celebrities including Sean Maguire, an actor in an American television show, Once Upon a Time, who said: “Just met this girl in April. She was so young and sweet. She was killed last night in Manchester”, as if emphasising that she was just a starry, wide-eyed, innocent child, killed before her time.
Runshaw College praised her in a statement: “Our deepest sympathies, thoughts and prayers go out to all of Georgina’s family, friends, and all of those affected by this loss.”
Dancing enthusiast
John Atkinson, 28, from Radcliffe, Gtr Manchester, was also confirmed dead last night. His friends described him as an “amazing young man” and a “true gentleman”.
A fund-raising page set up by his friends on the website Go Fund Me had raised £2,000 within minutes of the announcement of his death.
The fund-raising page said: “John tragically lost his life last night in the Manchester bomb attack. We are trying to help his family in any way possible at this tragic time … John was one in a million and loved by so many.” Tributes were also paid by a local dance troupe, Freak Dance Radcliffe, for whom Mr Atkinson performed competitively. They described him as a “happy gentle person” and a “real pleasure to teach”. The Facebook statement added: “Today is an amazingly sad day. We have lost a member of our dance family. He was a true friend, not just to our staff but many of the parents and students from the school. Our thoughts are with the family at the very sad and hard time.”
Maxine Purcell, 32, who lives close to Mr Atkinson’s address in Bury, said the family were “lovely”. She added: “You don’t expect them to go to a show and not come back … that’s somebody’s son, that’s somebody’s child.”
Music-mad daughter
The mother of 15-year-old Olivia Campbell was still fearing the worst last night. Charlotte Campbell said her daughter was “music mad” and had spoken about little else for days.
Olivia was with her close friend Adam Lawler when the pair were caught up in the suicide attack. Adam was taken to hospital, where he was in a critical condition, suffering from severe blast injuries, but no word has been heard from Olivia since she sent a text to her boyfriend half an hour before the explosion.
The lack of any news has left her family “in bits”, said Mrs Campbell. From her home in Bury, she said: “I’ve been up all night ringing and texting people who might know where she is. I’m so exhausted I don’t know what time of day it is. It’s just horrendous.
“It’s so hard the not knowing what’s happened. If I had an answer then at least I’d know the truth.”
Adam’s parents bought him a pair of tickets to Grande’s concert for his birthday two weeks ago, and he wanted to celebrate it with Olivia, doing something they both loved.
“He wanted her to go with him because they share a real passion for music,” said Mrs Campbell, 36. “She’s been so excited about going she’s spoken about little else. She just loves music and she wants to be a music teacher or a singer when she’s older.”
Mrs Campbell said she last spoke to her daughter on the telephone between the support act and Grande’s performance. Olivia then texted her boyfriend, Louis Birley, 17, at 9.53pm, towards the climax of the concert, saying: “I’m having so much fun!”
Moments later, as the lights went up, a huge blast tore through the venue.
Mrs Campbell was in bed when she received a call from Olivia’s father, Andrew Hardy, telling her there had been an attack at the concert.
She said: “He just told me ‘there’s been a bomb at the arena’ so I put the news on straight away.”
Olivia’s family were last night clinging to the hope that she could be lying unconscious in hospital, or perhaps even wandering around Manchester in a daze. Mr Hardy and Olivia’s grandparents led groups of friends and relatives in a search of the hospitals and even alleyways around the city centre, in the hope of stumbling across her.
“There’s so many people looking, even complete strangers. So many people want to help,” said Mrs Campbell, who was waiting by the phone, her eyes red raw. “People have offered me food, money, anything I need.”
Among those calling Olivia’s family home offering their support was her head teacher at Tottington High School, where she is studying for her GCSES, including music, RE and Spanish. Mrs Campbell said: “She loves school, she thrives there and the teachers love her.
“Olivia is amazing, she’s cheeky, she’s always smiling. I just want her back. If anyone knows anything about her please contact us. And Olivia, if you manage to read this, go to a police officer or call me or get a cab. We want you home.”
Teenage sweethearts
The families of Chloe Rutherford and Liam Curry made the overnight dash to Manchester from their home in South Shields on Tyneside in search for news of the missing couple. They were clinging to hope that Chloe, 17, a keen dancer, and Liam, 19, a student, were still alive.
Mark and Lisa Rutherford, both 45, left their home at 4.30am and arrived in Manchester two hours later to await news. Scott Rutherford, Chloe’s brother, said: “It doesn’t feel as though there is anything we can do other than watch the TV news and hope someone gets in touch to tell us they are safe.
“Our mum and dad wanted to go to Manchester and they’ve been taken to the Etihad Stadium where they’re being looked after by the police.
“In all the confusion after the explosion people were being taken to hospital and some will have lost phones or they will have run down batteries; we don’t know what to think, we’re waiting and hoping for good news.
“Chloe and Liam are boyfriend and girlfriend and they went to the show together. If anyone sees them we’re asking, please, to get in touch with the family.”
Chloe’s close friend, Amy Ridley, a singer, said: “I want to hear my best friend’s voice again and make sure her and her boyfriend are OK.
“I love them both and wouldn’t know what to do without them. I’ve been up all night messaging, sharing, phoning everybody and anybody to find them. I pray and plead for everyone to get sharing to help find these two amazing people.”
Charlotte Bowe, a member of the Rutherford family, said on Facebook: “This is torturing been sat gathered around the telly for nine hours. Come on Chloe and Liam we are desperate. Mam is so close she will be with you soon and bringing you and Liam home.”
‘Waiting for a call’
Also the subject of frantic searches were an 18-year-old student and keen dancer, Courtney Boyle, and her mother’s partner Philip Tron, 32, from Gateshead. They had travelled to the Manchester Arena to pick up Courtney’s younger sister, Nicole, who had been at the concert. Nicole survived unscathed. Of Courtney and Mr Tron, there was no sign.
Mr Tron’s brother, Michael Tron, said: “The last we heard from them was at 10.30pm last night. They went towards the arena to collect Courtney’s little sister. She managed to get out but there is still no news from them.
“Courtney and Philip just went to get Nicole, they took the car. They left in the car to go and collect her but they didn’t come back.
“At the moment we are just waiting. We have been in touch with every hospital and we are still just waiting, but there is nothing. We are in Manchester. We drove through the night to get there. It is a lot of mixed feelings at the moment. We are just waiting for a call.”
Courtney’s mother, Deborah Hutchinson, also appealed for the safe return of the pair. She wrote on Facebook: “Please share and help find them. I need them home safe.”
Young farmer
Nell Jones, a 14-year-old from Goostrey, a village in Cheshire, was also missing. A member of Knutsford Young Farmers, Nell had attended the concert on crutches after suffering a ligament injury.
A post on Knutsford Young Farmers’ Facebook page said: “One of our members and close friend Nell Jones was at the concert last night and sadly is still missing. #Prayfornell.” Denis Oliver, headteacher at Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School, where Nell is a stu- dent, said: “A number of students attended the event and we are able to report that the majority of them returned were physically unharmed but many of them, their parents and their friends are understandably upset this morning.
“We believe that one student remains unaccounted for and I have spoken directly with the family.
“This is an unbelievably difficult time for everyone affected by this terrible incident and our thoughts are with the families most affected.”
Missing parents
Alex Klis, the daughter of 40-year-old Angelika Klis and her husband Marcin Klis, 42, a taxi driver from York, put out an urgent appeal for her parents.
“Anyone who is in any safe place or hospital in Manchester, if anyone comes across my parents please, please, let me know as they’ve been missing ever since the attack.” She posted online a photograph of the couple taken early yesterday evening.
Trip of a lifetime
The family of Martyn Hett, 29, who worked in public relations, said they feared the “worst could have happened” just two days before he was about to embark on a trip of a lifetime to the United States. Kathryn Hett, 59, his stepmother, said his phone had been switched off. “He’s got so many friends, he has a huge network. If he was safe he would have made an attempt to get in touch with somebody,” said Mrs Hett.
Unanswered pleas
Others still missing and unaccounted for last night included Kaia Kopusar, 16, a French student, who had attended the concert on her own but was visiting friends in Manchester.
She had posed excitedly for photographs with her friends before she set off. Her parents had contacted all the hospitals and had not found her, according to her friends.
Wendy Fawell, 50, a single mother from Otley, north of Leeds, was last seen in the foyer shortly before the bomb blast. Her daughter, Charlotte, made a desperate appeal to find her.
Kelly Brewster, a claims assessor for the insurance company Aviva, was at the concert but had not been heard from since 10.30pm, the time of the blast. Her friend Chantelle Garrity wrote on Facebook: “Thank you to everyone who keeps sharing my post. Kelly Brewster is still missing. Had no contact at all from her since approx 10.30pm last night! Please keep her picture on you and if anyone sees her please get in touch with me asap!!”
Alison Howe, 44, and Lisa Lees, 43, from Royton, Lancs, were also missing. Ms Howe’s daughter Sasha posted a message on Facebook asking for help.
There had been so many pleas through the day. So many had gone unanswered.