A city comes together, united in hope and defiance
They came bearing flowers and with yellow ribbons in their hair. They came in shocking pink Ariana Grande T-shirts and those depicting the city’s symbol of the bee. And they came singing the famous anthems of Manchester – words of defiance and hope.
Yesterday, the city came together to mark the first anniversary of the suicide bombing at the Manchester Arena which killed 22 and left hundreds more suffering terrible physical and mental scars.
A day of commemorative events culminated in the evening in Albert Square where thousands gathered in the fading sunshine to sing songs including Don’t Look Back in Anger by the Mancunian band Oasis, which became the unofficial hymn of the city in the aftermath of the attack.
The mass singalong was led by local choirs including the Manchester Survivors (whose membership is comprised of some of those caught up in the bombing). Several Ariana Grande songs also featured and, earlier in the day, the 24-year-old singer had tweeted: “Thinking of you all today and every day.”
At 10.31pm, church bells pealed out across the city to mark the exact moment when Salman Abedi detonated his bomb in the foyer of the arena as parents and children were heading for the exits.
Families of the bereaved attended an afternoon service at Manchester Cathedral alongside Theresa May, the Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, and the Duke of Cambridge, who read a Bible passage and later met some of the families of the victims.
Leading the ceremony, the Right Rev David Walker, the Bishop of Manchester, paid tribute to all those affected by the attack. “You who were hurt or bereaved 12 months ago today are forever part of Manchester and forever part of us,” he said.
On the altar behind him burnt 22 candles which were fashioned from the wax of thousands left behind at the memorial in St Ann’s Square last year.
Another single candle was intended to represent the 800 left with physical or mental scars, as well as the emergency services and the bereaved.
At 2.30pm the service paused for a minute’s silence which was observed nationwide. At the end, a crowd of hundreds who had gathered in the Cathedral Gardens to watch the proceedings on a big screen broke into spontaneous applause and a single balloon, in the shape of a bee, was released into the cloudless sky.
During the service, photographs of all the 22 victims were projected on to a screen in the cathedral.
Among the images of the deceased was Martyn Hett, 29, from Stockport. His brother Dan, 32, a software engineer, told The Daily Telegraph he still gets stopped by strangers in the street wishing to pay their respects and he praised the “amazing” tributes to all of the victims. “I think we’ve all drawn enormous strength from the outpouring of love and support from everyone,” he said. “It keeps us going.”
Another victim of the bombing in attendance at the service was Martin Hibbert, who had gone to the concert with his daughter, Eve, and was 10 metres away from the blast.
The 41-year-old from Bolton suffered appalling injuries with 22 bolts that had been packed into the bomb tearing through his body (including an artery in his neck). He has been left wheelchair-bound although he insists he will prove doctors wrong by walking again. He told The Telegraph outside the cathedral, he understood why some family members of the victims found it too hard to be back in Manchester.
“I was one of the first to really talk about what happened that night and I think by doing that it has helped me come through it,” he said. “I am
‘We’ve all drawn enormous strength from the outpouring of love and support’
learning to control my thoughts and I am still taking antidepressants, but I know I have to keep positive.”
Also paying their respects yesterday were those who had walked out of the Manchester Arena a year ago physically unscathed, but still bearing the trauma of what they had witnessed. Among them was mother and daughter Gemma Outram, 34, and Chloe Thompson, 13, who had come from Chesterfield to watch the service in Cathedral Gardens.
Chloe said she has been left coping with severe anxiety as a result of that night and struggles when she hears a police siren or the fire alarm at school.
She attended yesterday wearing the Ariana Grande T-shirt she had bought on the night of the concert. “It is very comforting to sit here and know there are so many people who have the same feeling we do,” her mother said.
Friends Hannah Dane, 24, and Jade Vickery, 31, had also been at the concert that night and admitted they have also struggled since then. “People think because you weren’t injured then you should be fine,” Jade said. “I almost felt guilty for feeling bad.”
From early in the morning, flowers were laid at Manchester Victoria station where victims of the bombing were treated by paramedics in the immediate aftermath of the explosion.
Richard Evans, 34, an advanced paramedic with North West Ambulance Service was one of the first on the scene that night. Like the 300 other members of the service involved on the evening, Richard says the experience has left him with “challenges to overcome”. But he has found solace in the defiant spirit of Manchester.
“While that night took a horrific toll on the people killed and injured, it failed in its role to disrupt society,” he said. “All it has done is bring people closer together.”
Alongside the floral tributes some 7,000 knitted and crocheted hearts were placed on strings around the city centre. Leading up from Manchester Victoria station to the Cathedral Gardens was a trail of 28 Japanese Maple trees for people to hang “message of hope” on their branches. The trees will later be planted around the city.
Mancunian Pauline Thompson, 71, was one of hundreds to decorate the trees. With a tear in her eye she attached a message which read: “You are always in my heart”.
“Everybody in Manchester feels this tragedy,” she said. “It brings us all closer together.”