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Tag: Manchester Bombing

The latest news from Manchester after the bombing of an Ariana Grande concert.

  • Martyn Hett’s mother will talk to students about his life

    Martyn Hett’s mother will talk to students about his life

    Martyn Hett’s mother to speak to students following a show dedicated to the memory of the Manchester bombing victim.

    Figen Murray, the mother of Martyn Hett, who lost his life in the 2017 Manchester Arena bomb, will address school pupils at The Lowry following a performance of #BeMoreMartyn: The Boy with the Deirdre Tattoo.

    The play, which begins rehearsals this week, takes its dialogue from interviews with eight of Martyn’s closest friends. Created by Adam Zane and Mike Lee of Hope Theatre Company the script takes audiences on a journey through Martyn’s friendships and celebrating some of his most popular online videos.

    #BeMoreMartyn: The Boy with the Deirdre Tattoo opens at London’s Pleasance theatre on Tuesday 21st May and will mark the second anniversary of the attack the following day with a one-minute round of applause.

    Talking about the play, Hope Theatre Company’s Artistic Director, Adam Zane commented:

    “Martyn’s family have been overwhelmingly supportive of the project from the very beginning, they put us in touch with the eight incredible friends that audiences get to know throughout the production. After hours of interviews with them, we are in awe of how Martyn transformed people.

    “It feels fitting that we commemorate the anniversary of the attack with a round of applause for Martyn and the other 21 people who lost their lives that day. Audiences will learn that Martyn wasn’t a quiet or shy person and so a round of applause seemed appropriate over the traditional silence.” He added.

    Following the run in London the production will tour to Brighton Fringe, Sheffield and Newcastle before closing at The Lowry in Salford. The free school’s performance has been arranged in conjunction with The Lowry and will allow the pupils in attendance to ask Mrs Murray questions once the performance has concluded.

    Commenting on the production Figen said:

    “As Martyn’s mum I am delighted to see that #BeMoreMartyn is coming back to Greater Manchester after being on tour. I feel very honoured that Mike and Adam have asked me to come and meet around 400 schoolchildren who are coming to watch the show. This is a show about friendship and loyalty, living life to the max and about what is really important in life, namely the people we love and value.

    “There will be a post-show discussion which will enable me to answer any questions the children may have about Martyn and why the play is so important. Since Martyn’s death I visit a lot of schools, colleges and universities and talk to young people about kindness, forgiveness, stronger communities and that they can take ownership for a better future if they set their mind to it.” She concluded.

    The show will tour in London, Brighton, Newcastle, Sheffield and Salford.

  • The mother of Martyn Hett is calling for the government to make bag searches mandatory

    The mother of Martyn Hett is calling for the government to make bag searches mandatory

    Bag searches and metal detectors should be mandatory at big venues across the country.

    The mother of Martyn Hett, who was tragically killed in a terrorist attack in Manchester is calling on the government to enact a law that would make bag searches and metal detectors mandatory at the enterances of concert halls, arenas and stadiums across the country.

    Figen Murray who is Martyn’s mother says that she recently went to a concert and was shocked to find that nobody checked her tickets or bags. She writes, “Some places do checks, some have metal detectors, some open doors at the interval for smokers, but then anyone can walk in from the street.”

    Ms Murray has started an online petition calling for metal detectors, bag searches and obligatory safety measures for big public venues. A move which she says should be standardised. She is hoping the law would be called “Martyn’s Law”.

    Martyn Hett was one of 22 people killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the Manchester Arena in 2017. Martyn was leaving the venue as the killer was entering the building.

    The petition will run until June 2019.

  • Mother of Martyn Hett has been trolled since his death

    The mother of a man who was killed in the Manchester Bombing has spoken about she has been trolled since the death of her son.

    Speaking to LBC the mother of Martyn Hett, Figen Murray, has spoken about how she and Martyn’s stepfather, Stuart Murray, have been trolled by online cyber bullies since the death of her son. Ms Murray told LBC’s James O’Brien that they had received messages via social media questioning whether she was actually grieving the loss of her son because she didn’t appear to be more angry in public. She said that despite that she was seen smiling in public, her “heart is bleeding” over the death of her son.

    Last week she appeared at a memorial for Martyn and told the crowds that her son was an  “iconic diva”. She also thanked everyone for their messages of love and support since his death. She also called the family’s liaison officers “absolute angels”.

    She said that she was never going to go down the route of hate or anger for whoever was responsible and the goodness that she’s seen since his death had “by far outweighed the darkness”.

     

  • Family pay tribute to gay man killed in Manchester Bombing

    The family and partner of John Atkinson have paid tribute to him in a heartbreaking statement. Family pay tribute to John Atkinson, who was a Manchester bombing victim

     

    The partner and family of one of the Manchester bombing victims have paid tribute to a “loving, loyal, kind and caring” man who had been with his partner, Michael for 15 years. They described their loss as immeasurable.

    John was one of the first victims to be announced shortly after the bombing at the end of an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester.

    Through a statement the family said,

    John was the devoted Son of Daryl and Kevan. He was the loving partner of Michael, they had been together for 15 years. He was a caring and thoughtful Brother to Stacey, Laura and Amy. John was also a dear Uncle, Nephew, Cousin and friend to many people. He adored his Sisters and his nephews – his loss to them is immeasurable. John would text his Mum and Sisters every day making sure that they were okay.

    John worked as a support worker, looking after people with Autism and Asperger’s. He loved his job and particularly enjoyed taking the service users out into the local community. John had a huge positive impact on the lives of the people that he looked after. They will feel his loss greatly.

    John loved life and he lived his life to the fullest. He was loving, loyal, kind and caring. Nobody mattered more to John than the people that he loved. He was the life and soul of his family and was larger than life. John was well loved for his ‘on point’ eyebrows and his Nike flip-flops – He was never seen without either. Recently John lost 8 stone with Slimming World and he was immensely proud of this achievement. He had also taken up going to the gym and daily he would swim a mile at the local leisure centre.

    He was music mad! He adored pop music, particularly anything that he could sing along to. John was not somebody that you could have a cross word with – he was too kind and thoughtful for that. He had a heart of Gold.

    John’s senseless death has left our family broken hearted. Our lives have been shattered beyond belief. We will continue to miss John every day, until the end of time.

    RIP John

  • Ariana Grande is returning to the UK to raise money for victims of Manchester Bombing

    Singer Ariana Grande is returning to the UK for a concert which will raise money for the victims of the Manchester bombing last week.

    Ariana Grande will be joined by Justin Bieber, Coldplay, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Pharrell Williams, Usher, Take That and Niall Horan to perform in Manchester in aid of the victims of last Monday’s terrorist attack in Manchester, in which 22 people were killed and over 100 others injured.

    The concert is called the One Love Manchester benefit concert and it will take place on the 4th June.  The concert will take place at the Emirates Old Trafford Cricket Ground. General admission and hospitality tickets will be on sale through Ticketmaster (ticketmaster.co.uk/arianagrandemanchester) from Thursday 1 June 2017 at 10:00 AM

    Ariana Grande called on the biggest international names in music to join her for the evening, including Justin Bieber, Coldplay, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Pharrell Williams, Usher, Take That, Niall Horan, and others. The concert will be broadcast on BBC Television, and on BBC Radio and Capital Radio Networks. The BBC will be the host broadcaster for international television networks.

    All net ticket proceeds of the show will go directly to the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund which was set up by the Manchester City Council in partnership with the British Red Cross, in aid of grieving families and victims of the horrific attack.

    Ariana Grande said, in an open letter posted on her social media accounts:

    “My heart, prayers and condolences are with the victims of the Manchester Attack and their loved ones. There is nothing I or anyone can do to take away the pain you are feeling or to make this better. However, I extend my hand and heart and everything I possibly can give to you and yours, should you want or need my help in any way.”

    “We will not quit or operate in fear. We won’t let this divide us. We won’t let hate win… Our response to this violence must be to come closer together, to help each other, to love more, to sing louder and to live more kindly and generously than we did before.”

    “Music is meant to heal us, to bring us together, to make us happy. So that is what it will continue to do for us. We will continue to honour the ones we lost, their loved ones, my fans and all affected by this tragedy. They will be on my mind and in my heart everyday and I will think of them with everything I do for the rest of my life.”

    The attack – which took place after Ariana’s Dangerous Woman concert at Manchester Arena on Monday 22 May – killed 22 people, seven of whom were children, and injured hundreds of others.

     

  • Watch this emotional rendition of Mariah’s Till The End of Time at Martyn Hett’s memorial

    Hundreds of people turned up to a memorial held in the memory Martyn Hett, who died along with 21 others during the Manchester bombing last week.

    At the end of a one minute’s silence, Martyn’s friend, Rob – sung an emotional, heartbreaking tribute of  “Till The End Of Time” a Mariah Carey track from her second album, Emotions.

    Martyn Hett was 29 when he was killed by a suicide bomber at the end of an Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena last week. He was one of 22 fatalities.

    Mariah Carey paid tribute to Martyn herself in a loving Instagram post, saying that he would never be forgotten.

    Speaking at the memorial his mother called Martyn an “iconic diva” and thank everyone for their messages of love and support since his death. She also called the family’s liaison officers “absolute angels”.

    She said that she was never going to go down the route of hate or anger for whoever was responsible and the goodness that she’s seen since his death had “by far outweighed the darkness”.

    RIP Martyn.

     

  • Ariana Grande vows to return to Manchester to perform benefit concert

    Ariana Grande has told fans she will return and told her fans she will do what for them – whatever they need.

    Ariana Grande has broken her silence since her initial tweet after Monday night’s bombing of her concert in Manchester. Taking to Twitter she wrote to her 46 million fans that she was going to return to Manchester to perform a special fundraising concert for the victims of the suicide bombing.

    She said that although there was nothing she could do to take away the pain her fans were feeling, she would “extend her hand and heart” and give whatever she could possibly give should they need her help.

     

    In the letter to her fans she praised their diversity and beauty. She vowed not to be cowed by the attack and said that her fans should not let the action of the bomber divide them.

    Twenty-two people were killed after a blast ripped through Manchester Arena during the end of her concert on Monday night. Up to 21,000 fans were in attendance of the concert.

    At around 10:3o/33 PM as the singer, who was on a world tour had finished her concert and thousands of people were streaming out of the concert venue when a bomb was detonated.

    Witnesses say that the bomb went off outside the auditorium.

  • Boy George calls for bomb making instructions to be removed from internet

    Boy George has called for the removal of bomb-making instructions to be razed from the internet following Monday night’s catastrophic suicide attack in Manchester.

    Singer Boy George has called for “zero tolerance” at entry level and the removal of bomb making info from the internet. His calls come after 22 people were killed and over 100 injured at an Ariana Grande concert on Monday night in Manchester.

    He said,

    ‘Time to remove bomb making info from the internet and time for zero tolerance at every level’

    His fans were quick to reply – leaving the star besieged with responses. He answered with a simple,

    ‘I love you and that’s all you need to know!’

    Meanwhile, Ariana Grande has returned to the US and has suspended the rest of her European dates with her promoters saying,

    “We ask at this time that we all continue to support the city of Manchester and all those families affected by this cowardice and senseless violence. Our way of life has once again been threatened but we will overcome this together. Thank you.”

    She had been scheduled to perform two dates at the London o2, but these were cancelled. Many fans pleaded with the venue to cancel the shows so that Ariana would have time to “heal” and not feel obliqued to sing for them.

     

     

     

     

     

  • Martyn Hett lights up the internet after friends and family pay tribute

    Martyn Hett “would be f**king loving this”.

    https://twitter.com/danhett/status/867348945185460225

    This is the simple emotional Tweet sent by Martyn’s brother, Dan Hett and it says it all.

    All day Martyn Hett’s name trended on Twitter after it was revealed that he was one of the 22 fatalities of the Manchester bombing on Monday night.

    Martyn didn’t just trend in the UK, but worldwide his name sat above that of Pope Francis. Martyn was a well-loved figure from Manchester’s LGBT community and yesterday many people took to social media to express their sadness, memories and loss.

    Here’s just a little of the love that was shown for Martyn as the devastating loss was announced on social media.

    https://twitter.com/HadleyFreeman/status/867368997188235264

     

     

    https://twitter.com/MrShaneReaction/status/867352563095621632

    https://twitter.com/BListAtCapital/status/867338970904047616

    https://twitter.com/thatssolagun/status/867670247985360897

     

  • 20 #BritishThreatLevels tweets every gay man needs to see

    20 #BritishThreatLevels tweets every gay man needs to see

    In the wake of the attack in Manchester, the UK’s threat level has been raised from severe to critical – the first time this has happened since June 2007.

    Nerivill / Pixabay

     

    But the nation doesn’t seem to be bothered, instead, getting into the spirit of the times by pointing out just what constitutes an actual threat to the British way of life. #BritishThreatLevels has been the top trending topic on UK Twitter for most of Wednesday, and the responses are bloody brill.

    I’m a political nerd, so I immediately went to check out what the politicians and journalists were saying – and I wasn’t disappointed:

     

    https://twitter.com/RupertMyers/status/867325576964706304

     

    https://twitter.com/JamesMelville/status/867349299537088513

     

     

    But there were a few that any gay man can appreciate:

    https://twitter.com/RichardBabley/status/867349975902162945

    https://twitter.com/GeckoKid_WOW/status/867336593023131654

    https://twitter.com/DanielRidsdale/status/867367982669975552

     

    And some that are just too true not to mention:

    https://twitter.com/cjlatimer16/status/867370750155649024

    https://twitter.com/BrummieCanary02/status/867411373650792448

     

    On a day we all doubtlessly needed a laugh, you lot came through. Well done.

     

  • Nick Griffin has a theory about why the Manchester suicide bomber did what he did

    A deliberate homophobic attack? Asks the former leader of the British National Party.

    Embed from Getty Images

    Nick Griffin has questioned why no has pointed out that Monday night’s attack on an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester could have been a homophobically motivated attack and suggested that Ms Grande’s gig was a “fag hag” gig.

    He correctly asserted that Ariana Grande is an LGBT+ rights advocate but seemingly turned the conservation to immigration, when he said that “open borders have consequences”, despite Monday night’s attacker being born and raised in Manchester, UK.

    He also asserted that “many Muslims” would see the gig as a “fag hag” gig and blowing it up would be akin to throwing gay men off buildings.

    In two tweets, Mr Griffin, who now describes himself as the Vice President of the Alliance for Peace & Freedom. National revolutionary strategist (and white rights figher) said,

    “Why has no one pointed out that could well have been deliberate attack? AG is renowned gay rights advocate

    “Blowing up what many Muslims would see as a ‘faghag’ gig is in same line as throwing gays off buildings. have consequences!