Island celebrates as Barra’s Laura goes back to school
THE teenager from Barra who was seriously injured in the Manchester terror attack has now returned to school.
Laura MacIntyre, 15, is back at Castlebay Community School, where she is ‘making progress’.
Laura attended an Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena on May 22 when a bomb was detonated, killing 22 people.
One of the victims who died in the attack was Laura’s friend, 14-year-old Eilidh MacLeod, who was also from Barra.
Laura returned home at the end of August.
Following the incident in May, the Castlebay pupil was treated in the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital before being transferred to a hospital Glasgow in July. She received severe injuries to her hand and legs.
A spokesman for Comhairle nan Eilean Siar confirmed the news, saying: ‘Everyone is very pleased that Laura is back at school and making progress.’
Western Isles (Na h-Eileanan an Iar) MP Angus Brendan MacNeil said: ‘We are all delighted that Laura is progressing so much, despite the hard route she had to endure, but it is great she is going back to school.
‘She is a girl with a good, sharp academic mind and will, I’m sure, be delighted to be back in school and with her peers.’
Western Isles MSP Alasdair Allan said: ‘People in Barra and throughout the islands are really delighted that Laura is making such progress and that she is back at school. People feel a real sense of respect and affection for her and for her family. I wish her all the best.’
Laura’s parents, Micheal and Nan MacIntyre issued a statement when their daughter was able to return home at the end of August, saying: ‘We are delighted that Laura has been able to return home to Barra. She continues to amaze us every day with her strength and bravery and we’ve looked forward to this day for a long time.
‘We’d like to thank everyone who has helped Laura and our family get here, from the first responders to the doctors and nurses in Manchester and Glasgow, and the Ronald McDonald charity which supported us while we were away.
‘We now want to return to as much of a normal life as possible and would appreciate time and privacy to focus on Laura’s longterm recovery.’
The community of Barra continues to support the families affected, as do people from further afield. Following the attack, Alan Anderson created a crowdfunding campaign to help towards any financial costs they may face. He wrote: ‘We are trying to raise some money towards the costs associated with the families of Eilidh MacLeod and Laura MacIntyre.
‘Two young girls who left the island of Barra to go to a concert and were caught up in the terrible events in Manchester.’
In just seven hours, the page had received more than £15,000 and in June of this year the campaign surpassed its target of £40,000, when 1,633 people donated, raising a total of £42,497.