Queen condemns ‘wicked attack’ as she meets victims in hospital
Young bomb survivors tell Her Majesty of their ordeal
IT WAS set to be a night to remember for scores of young girls as they looked forward to catching a glimpse of their pop star idol on the stage.
For some it was a birthday present and for others it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to meet Ariana Grande backstage at her concert in Manchester.
These innocent youngsters all descended on Manchester Arena for the same cause – an evening of excitement and pop music.
However, little did they know their moment of pure joy would soon descend into a night of sheer horror.
Families were faced with unimaginable scenes after a suicide bomber wreaked havoc near the foyer as they were leaving the venue on Monday.
Today those youngsters are facing a long road to recovery.
But they found the courage to relive their ordeals as they were visited by The Queen at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital yesterday.
Among those to meet the monarch was 14-year-old Evie Mills, from Harrogate, who had received tickets to the concert as a birthday present.
The monarch told the youngster she thought Ariana Grande was a “very good singer”, adding: “She sounds very, very good.”
She told Evie’s parents that “everyone is united” following the attack.
During her visit the Queen condemned the “wicked” attack.
She met scores of staff who had worked through the night, shaking hands and sharing words with many, before visiting a ward where youngsters were recovering.
Millie Robson, from County Durham, was hit with shrapnel after her dream of meeting the pop star descended into a nightmare.
The 15-year-old from County Durham met the singer backstage at the concert after winning VIP tickets but suffered leg injuries as she was caught up in the attack while leaving the venue.
The teenager revealed the story to the Queen from her hospital bed.
The teenager had just spotted her father David Robson, who was meeting them outside when the bomb detonated.
“I was in the foyer bit, I was just walking out to meet my dad because he was picking me and my friend up from the concert – and then it just went off behind me,” she said after the royal visit.
“I just remember the explosion in my ears – it just started ringing for ages. “People were screaming.” She described how her dad rushed to her aid and worked to stop the bleeding where the impact of the shrapnel had created “holes” in her legs.
Millie, who was wearing an Ariana Grande T-shirt and clutching a souvenir from the gig, said: “My dad ran over to me and picked me up and we tied jumpers and stuff around the two main wounds on my leg.
“And he just picked me up and we ran outside. A lot of the paramedics outside and strangers were helping us.”
Mr Robson, 54, described how he saw his daughter waving at him before the explosion went off, as he stood at the top of a set of stairs with partner Jean Forster.
Mr Robson tied his jumper around Millie’s leg to stem the bleeding and carried her, telling her not to look at anyone else but him as the group fled the “carnage”.
The teenager also told emergency responders “to go and see to other people who were more injured than her”, said her mother Marie Robson.
“I think that just shows what she’s like really – she’s amazing,” she added of her daughter.
Among the stories of courage to come out of the tragedy include the selfless actions of a merchandise seller who ripped up concert T-shirts to help stem the bleeding of a 12-year-old girl.
The parents of Amy Barlow, from Helmshore in Lancashire, told how the man used souvenirs from the Ariana Grande concert as bandages while taking instructions from a doctor over the phone.
Mother Kathy, 43, was with her daughter when the bomb went off and said it felt like “someone had thrown a massive firework” as they were struck by shrapnel.
Her father Grant Barlow, 46, said: “The guy selling T-shirts used the T-shirts as bandages.”
I just remember the explosion in my ears – it just started ringing. Millie Robson, 15, from County Durham.