Manchester terror attack: Nation to fall silent in anniversary tribute
The nation will watch in contemplation today as Manchester stops to reflect on the first anniversary of the Arena terror bombing that claimed 22 lives including off-duty Cheshire officer Elaine McIver.
Theresa May and the Duke of Cambridge will join emergency services personnel who helped the victims of the atrocity on May 22 last year in a service of remembrance at 2pm at Manchester Cathedral.
People will also be able to watch the service on a big screen in the nearby cathedral gardens, and further afield at York Minster, Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral and Glasgow Cathedral.
During the service, a national minute’s silence will be observed at 2.30pm and marked at all UK government buildings.
Later in the day more than 3,000 singers from local choirs will join forces and share the spirit of resilience in the face of adversity at the Manchester Together – With One Voice event in the city’s Albert Square from 7.30pm-9pm.
And at 10.31pm – the exact time the device was detonated by suicide bomber Salman Abedi surrounded by 353 people, including 175 children, in the foyer of the venue at the end of the Ariana Grande concert – the bells will ring out from the city’s Town Hall, St Ann’s Church and St Mary’s Roman Catholic Church.
The Prime Minister has spoken of the “act of sickening cowardice” that targeted the young and innocent enjoying a carefree night out, designed to strike at the heart of UK values “with the aim of breaking our resolve and dividing us”.
She told the Manchester Evening News: “Such appalling acts of wickedness will do nothing but strengthen our resolve to defeat such twisted ideologies and beliefs.
“The resilience and determination shown by this city in the 12 months since is testament to that.”
Ms Grande, who staged a One Love concert in Manchester less than two weeks after the attack, tweeted on Tuesday morning (May 22) to say she was “thinking of you all today and every day”.
Detectives from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) investigating the UK’s worst terrorist atrocity since the 7/7 bombing in 2005 have revealed the number who have suffered physical injury or deep psychological damage has risen from 512 to more than 800.
The tragedy has left a devastating footprint on policing with officers still reportedly off work with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The Police Federation has warned of resilience in the service being at an all-time low, with officers under inordinate amounts of pressure taking a heavy toll on their health and wellbeing.
GMP says it has offered bespoke support to officers who responded to the Manchester Arena bombing, while forces across the country have been running campaigns for Mental Health Awareness Week.
