Poet gifts royalties to Manchester bombing aid

Poet Tony Walsh is gifting usage of his poem This Is The Place to a charity supporting communities hit by last year’s Manchester Arena bombing.

The verses captured the response of the city after a terrorist attack at an Ariana Grande show last May that killed 22 concert goers. Among the victims were 14-year-old Eilidh Macleod from Barra.

The poet, who writes under the name Longfella, recited the piece at the vigil for the victims of the bombing and later at the One Love Manchester concert. The poem has come to symbolise the defiant response to the attack.

Walsh has announced he is gifting usage of the work and associated royalties to the Forever Manchester charity, which initially commissioned the work in 2013, to support grassroots community activity.