Tributes paid to Manchester Arena bombing victims on fifth anniversary

This Sunday marks the fifth anniversary of the shocking terror attack at the Manchester Arena in which 22 people were killed and 1,017 were injured when an Ariana Grande concert was bombed.

It promises to be an emotional weekend, with a number of inspirational stories of healing and recovery emerging as the anniversary approaches.

Julie Edwards and her daughter Lily were at the pop concert in 2017 and survived the chaotic aftermath of the terrorist attack after being close to the deadly explosion. Five years on, Julie is running The Great Manchester Run 2022 to raise money for bereavement charity Once Upon A Smile, while her young son Jack will be taking part in the junior event the day before.

A documentary about the attack and its aftermath will be screened in the city on the fifth anniversary of the bombing.

A Manchester Story, directed by Anton Arenko and produced by Ste Bergin, is a full-length film featuring interviews with those who were at the concert on that night in 2017, people who lost loved ones in the blast and those whose lives were affected by it. The film will be shown at the Everyman cinema in Manchester five years on from the attack, and will be streamed online for those who cannot make it into the city centre to watch it.

Earlier this year, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge officially opened a new memorial to victims of the attack.

The royal couple travelled to the city to join bereaved families in a service at the Glade Of Light monument. After the ceremony, Kate laid flowers and the pair were shown around the construction, which bears the names of those killed in the suicide attack. William praised the "extraordinary" city for its response to the atrocity.

On 4th June 2017, Ariana Grande hosted a benefit concert in Manchester, entitled "One Love Manchester" at Old Trafford Cricket Ground that was broadcast live on TV, radio and social media.

At the concert, Grande performed along with several other high-profile artists. Free tickets were offered to those who had attended the show on 22nd May. The benefit concert and associated Red Cross fund raised £10 million for victims of the attack by early June and £17 million by August. New York's Vulture section ranked the event as the No. 1 concert of 2017.

In an Instagram post on the anniversary of the attack in 2020, Grande said: “I want to take a moment to acknowledge and send my love to everyone that is feeling the sadness and tremendous heaviness of the anniversary coming up this week.

“Not a day goes by that this doesn’t affect you and all of us still. I will be thinking of you all week and weekend.

“My heart, thoughts, prayers are with you always.”

Meanwhile, security improvements have been made at Manchester Arena since the terror attack and are "continually reviewed", a public inquiry has heard.

Arena operators SMG and security firm Showsec were criticised in the first report published by the inquiry, which said bomber Salman Abedi should have been identified as a threat.

All SMG venues have new security managers and detection dogs, and risk assessments and counter-terrorism training have been improved, said SMG's security director, Gary Simpson. The former police officer and deputy head of security at Manchester United said there was "much better oversight of when suspicious activity or suspicious people are reported".