Victims of arena bombing speak of its lasting impact
■ Britain remembers 22 killed in Manchester ■ Atrocity saw security tightened at arenas
PEOPLE FROM Yorkshire who were caught up in the deadliest terror attack on UK soil in a decade have spoken to The Yorkshire
Post of the lasting physical and emotional toll of the atrocity.
Britain will today mark the first anniversary of the Manchester Arena attack, in which 22-yearold British-born suicide bomber Salman Abedi left 22 people dead and hundreds injured, including many children.
Government buildings across the UK will observe a minute’s silence at 2.30pm, as victims’ families join Prime Minister Theresa May, the Duke of Cambridge and others at a service in Manchester Cathedral.
Among the attendees will be a mother and her two daughters from Queensbury, near Bradford, who were all injured in the attack.
THEY HAD been there to enjoy a pop concert.
Excited fans of the American singer Ariana Grande, many of them young girls, were streaming out of Manchester Arena when terror struck.
A 22-year-old man born in the same city, Salman Abedi, had come to the venue armed with a shrapnel-laden homemade bomb.
The attack, which killed 22 and injured hundreds more, was the deadliest on UK soil since the London bombings on July 7, 2005. The youngest victim was an eight-year-old girl.
But amid the horror and grief of the following days and weeks, a new narrative began to emerge: one of resilience and unity.
The bee – the mascot of a city with a proud identity – came to symbolise the defiance of those who refused to be cowed by terror.
It was a tone which the rest of Britain followed as flowers filled Manchester city centre and an emergency fund raised more than £5m in donations.
Grande, who had a bee tattooed onto her skin as a lasting tribute to the victims of the attack, returned to the city within weeks to lead the One Love benefit concert at Old Trafford.
At a time when they could have been forgiven for being wary of attending live events, more than 55,000 people turned out to watch stars including Justin Bieber, Coldplay and Take That perform in a moving benefit concert which was broadcast to the nation.
Fans who had been at Manchester Arena on the night of the bombing, many of whom had travelled from Yorkshire, were invited for free.
It is a spirit of defiance and unity that continues today, on the anniversary of the atrocity, as Britain observes a minute’s silence and Manchester Cathedral holds a service of remembrance.
This evening the Manchester Survivors’ Choir, a group made up of people who were at the arena on the night of the fateful concert, will perform in the city’s Albert Square.
Meanwhile, the security weaknesses exposed by the Manchester bombing have seen arenas in Yorkshire and around the world carry out full-scale reviews of the way they try to keep concertgoers safe.
Abedi detonated his device in a public lobby area outside the venue’s security checkpoints.
As a result, many arenas have since widened their checkpoint perimeters as part of full-scale reviews of their security arrangements.
The presence of armed police outside venues and the turningaway of concert-goers who arrive with backpacks is also becoming an increasingly common sight.
At Sheffield Arena, bosses say they introduced heightened security procedures immediately after the Manchester bombing.
Andrew Snelling, chief executive of Sheffield International Venues, which runs the arena, said: “The tragic events in Manchester brought into focus the security of venues, whether this be from the artist, show promoters, the venue, emergency services, local authority or customers.”
The company also runs Scarborough Spa, Whitby Pavilion and Sheffield City Hall. Mr Snelling said procedures would vary between venues because of their location, surroundings, building design and access and entry points.
He said at Sheffield Arena, certain security measures had “been in place for many years”, including searches with metal-detector wands, restrictions on large bags and the barring of drop-offs and pick-ups close to the venue.
He said: “Some more specific heightened security procedures have been implemented immediately following the events of Manchester and this is an ongoing process based on the latest intelligence and advice from the relevant bodies.”
At Leeds Arena, a wider security cordon now operates as crowds arrive at events, with only ticketholders allowed through to the security arches and bag check areas.
Backpacks and large bags are not allowed to be taken into the venue.
The tragic events brought into focus the security of venues. Andrew Snelling, chief executive of Sheffield International Venues.
ONLINE