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Manchester attack anniversary service: Prime minister to attend

Getty Images Prime Minister Theresa May and Prince WilliamGetty Images
Mrs May and the Duke of Cambridge will join families of victims and emergency workers who went to their aid

Prime Minister Theresa May and Prince William are to attend a national memorial service marking the first anniversary of the Manchester bombing.

Twenty-two people were killed and hundreds injured when Salman Abedi detonated a home-made bomb at Manchester Arena on 22 May 2017.

The Duke of Cambridge and Mrs May will join families of victims and emergency workers who went to their aid.

A communal sing-along and a minute's silence at 14:30 BST are also planned.

The civic service will be held at Manchester Cathedral between 14:00 and 15:00, exactly a year on from the explosion at the Ariana Grande concert.

Manchester City Council said the service was invite only, but people would be able to watch it on a big screen in the nearby cathedral gardens and further afield at York Minster, Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, and Glasgow Cathedral.

Thousands packed into Albert Square to pay their respects
Thousands packed into Albert Square to pay their respects after the bombing

A vigil will be staged at Albert Square in the early evening where thousands of people gathered.

The council has also planned a "Trees of Hope Trail", which will invite people to leave messages and tributes on trees placed around the city centre in the days before the anniversary.

A one-minute silence is also being held during the Great Manchester Run on 20 May.