Onlookers outside Chester Cathedral burst into spontaneous applause in honour of Manchester terror attack victim Detective Constable Elaine McIver as her coffin was carried inside for a funeral attended by hundreds.
Moments before there had been an eerie silence as Elaine’s devastated family looked on when the casket was taken out of a horse drawn hearse by uniformed colleagues of the fallen officer.
Then in a moving tribute, a ripple of applause began and soon spread among the crowd.
It was imperceptible whether it was because Elaine was ‘one of our own’ having been brought up in Ellesmere Port and lived in Frodsham or down to the work she and the police do every day in protecting the public and performing tasks most of us would shy away from.
On that tragic night back in May, Elaine, 43, was off duty and with her partner Paul Price when they went along to Manchester Arena to collect Paul’s 13-year-old daughter and her friend from an Ariana Grande concert.
The pair were in the foyer when suicide bomber Salman Abedi detonated his device.
Elaine was killed in the blast along with 21 other victims while Paul was seriously injured.
In a statement issued at the time, Elaine’s heartbroken family said Paul was the ‘love of her life’, and the couple had been excitedly planning their future, including buying a house together.
She was the daughter of Pat and Frank and the sister to Paul and Lynda. Elaine was also auntie to Sami and Nicky.
The funeral was attended by family, friends, colleagues and community representatives.
Among the mourners were chief constable Simon Byrne, Police and Crime Commissioner David Keane, Chester and Ellesmere Port MPs Chris Matheson and Justin Madders as well as Lord Mayor of Chester Razia Daniels and leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council Samantha Dixon.
