As you read this, it has been nearly two weeks since the terror attack at the Manchester Arena.
And I still find it completely unfathomable to understand why this senseless act has happened.
I do not want to get into any rants about terrorism or politics, nor do I want to even make the slightest mention of the perpetrator responsible for carrying out this horrific attack.
I just want to dedicate this week’s page to the 22 people whose lives were so callously and cruelly ended in just a few moments on Monday, May 22 after an Ariana Grande concert.
You will have read about them all – their background and the circumstances that led them to be at the Manchester Arena on that fateful evening. I have spent time reading through all of their stories, each one almost seeming desperately sadder than the last.
A young couple on a romantic trip together. Mothers waiting to pick up their children. Two teenagers who travelled to the concert from their home in one of the most remote parts of Scotland.
A young man about to embark on a two month dream trip to America. An eight-year-old girl watching her favourite popstar.
These were just people going about their normal lives, unaware of the evil that was about to unfold.
And all 22 of them deserve to be remembered for the innocent, vibrant and beautiful people that they were.
Megan Hurley , 15, had been at the concert with her brother who was seriously injured in the bomb blast.
Elaine McIver 43, an off-duty police officer who was waiting in the foyer with her partner Paul, described as ‘the love of her life’. They were there to pick up Paul’s daughter and a friend from the concert. Paul remains seriously injured.
28-year-old John Atkinson had been leaving the concert when the bomb detonated. He is described as ‘one in a million’.
Friends Alison Howe , 45, and Lisa Lees , 43, were both waiting for their children in the foyer of the arena when the suicide bomber detonated the home-made device packed with nuts and bolts.
Courtney Boyle , 19, was also in the foyer with her stepdad Philip Tron, 32, waiting to pick up her little sister Nicole who had attended the concert.
Georgina Callender , an 18-year-old Ariana Grande superfan had met her idol two years earlier and was enjoying the concert with her friends at the time of the blast.
Primary school teacher Wendy Fawell, 50, and her friend Caroline were picking their children up after the concert when the explosion hit. Wendy had just started walking to another exit when the bomb went off. Caroline survived and said she was devastated to lose her best friend.
Eilidh MacLeod , 14, had travelled to Manchester from the remote village of Barra in the Outer Hebrides, with a friend when she was caught in the blast.
Nell Jones , 14, had been on crutches after a ligament injury as she attended the concert with a friend.
‘Inseparable’ young couple, Chloe Rutherford, 17, and Liam Curry , 19, had been at the concert together. They often said they wanted to be together forever.
Kelly Brewster , 32, had been at the concert with her sister and niece. She had signed to buy a house with her partner just the day before.
Jane Tweddle-Taylor , 51, had gone to the arena to pick up her daughter’s friend and was standing in the foyer when the bomb went off.
Couple Marcin and Angelika Klis were both killed while collecting their daughters from the venue.
Coronation Street superfan Martyn Hett , 29, was at the concert as a leaving party before he headed off on a dream trip to America. He had fatefully gone to the bar minutes before the bomb detonated.
Olivia Campbell was just 15. Her mum had launched a desperate social media appeal to find her but she was sadly confirmed as one of the victims.
Michelle Kiss had been at the Ariana Grande concert with her young daughter on the night of the explosion. Her daughter, who was pictured being comforted by a police officer, survived but Michelle was confirmed as one of the victims.
Sorrell Leczkowski , 14, was at the concert with her mum and grandma, who were also badly injured in the attack.
At just eight, Saffie Rose Roussos is the youngest victim and had been at the concert with her mum Lisa and sister Ashlee when the explosion shook the venue. Her mum and sister were taken to hospital, but lost contact with Saffie who was the second victim to be named.
