MEMORIAL events are set to be held across the region to remember who lost their lives in the Manchester Arena attack five years ago today.
Among the 22 victims being remembered are Olivia Campbell-Hardy and John Atkinson from Bury.
Olivia Campbell-Hardy, 15, was a year 10 student at Tottington High School. Olivia was initially unaccounted for following the attack and her death was later confirmed via a Facebook post from her mum.
John Atkinson,28, from Radcliffe, was another victim who died from the attack. He attended St John’s Church of England Primary School and Radcliffe High School and was a support worker for children and young adults with additional needs — a job which he loved.
Hundreds of people were injured alongside those who died, who included six children under 16, the youngest aged just eight, in the blast.
Remembrance events have been taking place throughout the week with Bury Fire Choir dedicating their rehearsal to the memory of the victims.
Steven Goodman, grandad to Olivia, founded Liv's Trust and continues supporting and financing the children's Encore Youth Choir in Bury.
He began singing after her death as she was also part of a choir. Since then he has been helping to fund the youth choir in memory of Olivia's love of music.
On Friday, the choir performed on BBC Breakfast and North West Tonight, honouring the lives that were lost with their Manchester Meadly mash-up.
Reflecting on the anniversary, James Daly, MP for Bury North posted on Facebook: "Today we remember those who lost their lives at the Manchester Arena bombing."
Survivors of the Manchester Arena terror attack and Mayor Andy Burnham are also among those marking the fifth anniversary of the tragedy by running a 10km race through Manchester.
The Great Manchester Run will see more than 20,000 racers applauding the 22 victims ahead of the starting pistol, while church bells will toll at 10.31pm – the time a bomb was detonated at the Ariana Grande concert on May 22 2017.
The day will be the first time in three years that people in Manchester can mark the anniversary free of coronavirus restrictions.
Remembrance services will also take place at the Glade of Light Memorial in the city centre, while bells at the nearby Manchester Cathedral will toll at 10.31pm, marking the time of the attack.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge officially opened the permanent memorial earlier this month.
Back in February, a mural painted Bees Knees cocktail bar in Oldham was completed to honour the victims of the bombing.
The mural shows a love heart being made with someone's hands, surrounded by 22 bees, one for each of the victims.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here