Tears & flowers for victims

THE heartbroken father of 18-year-old victim Georgina Callander told a mother hugging her son:“Look after him, because you never know,” as he joined hundreds of mourners paying tribute to the dead yesterday.

He wept as he stood with hundreds of people who had gathered around a carpet of flowers in St Ann’s Square, where balloons were released in memory of the 22 victims.

Georgina’s mother Lesley told how she tried to comfort her daughter after finding her lying on a stretcher after the blast.

She said paramedics were trying to get her down the stairs and were trying to resuscitate her.

She said: “I was just screaming and shouting at her. I was rubbing her hands, I was rubbing her tummy, I was rubbing her face. It was just a flicker of hope that she’d move her hand or move her leg or try and open her eyes a little, just to acknowledge that I was there, just to let me know that she was very, very poorly but she knew that I was there.”

Mrs Callander had taken pictures of Georgina and her friend before they went into the concert. She said: “I gave them a big hug and said, ‘Just have an amazing time.’ Off they went, laughing and giggling together.”

Dad Simon said he felt he had let Georgina down by not being there.

He told ITV: “I should have been there to hold her hand, when she was lying there. I should have been there to hold her hand.”

Prince William laid a wreath to remember the victims before the FA Cup final kicked off last night.

The 90,000- strong crowd of Chelsea and Arsenal fans stood in silence to remember the victims.

Some held up We Love Manchester placards. Chelsea players were criticised for failing to arrive on the pitch wearing black armbands. Officials corrected the mistake for the second half.