Manchester Arena Inquiry: Philip Tron had 'huge heart'

The loved ones of Philip Tron will remember the 32-year-old as always having "a huge heart and a huge personality to match," adding "heaven has a new Geordie ambassador".

Over two weeks, the relatives of the 22 people killed in the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing will provide a personal insight into the lives of their loved ones and how their lives were changed forever.

He was the "bonny lad" who made everyone laugh. This is how the family and friends of Philip will remember him.

On the day of the bombing, he had travelled to Manchester from Gateshead with his mother June, his partner Deborah Hutchinson, and her children - her daughter Courtney Boyle, 19, also died in the blast.

His uncle Ken Mullen read out a moving statement from Philip's loved ones, which included a video montage of photographs, produced by his great-nephew.

His family recalled how a "charmer was born" on 3 September 1984 alongside his twin sister Rachel.

Mr Mullen told the inquiry Philip was "different, family-loving, thoughtful, caring, hugely likeable, a joker with the most recognisable smile big smile".

"Phil enjoyed his family life, especially winding up his mum June," Mr Mullen added.

The inquiry heard stories of Philip, who was who working as a water conservation engineer at the time of his death, purchasing an extra large pair of knickers to put on his mother's washing line for a joke.

Others could recall the father-of-one twirling elderly relatives round the dance floor at functions, even those in wheelchairs.

The former Joseph Swan Senior School pupil loved "working with his hands" and was "the go-to person for family and friends for any practical jobs," Mr Mullen told the inquiry.

"This is probably one of the ways where he's most missed, now there's not that friendly voice at the end of the phone to see what the problem was and see what he could do to resolve it," Mr Mullen added.

Philip held down a number of jobs over the years but it was "behind the bar where he was most known and loved".

"Once you'd been in and bought a drink, he knew what your drink was the next time you visited," Mr Mullen said.

"He always had a smile and cheeky grin when talking to you and was a great source of one liners

"Everyone got a 'bonny lad' or bonny lass' greeting from him because to him that is what you were."

Following his death, the inquiry heard how his mother "believed that she was living in a parallel world or existence that she would wake up from and Phil would be there".

One of her "coping mechanisms" has been to post a weekly message to her son on Facebook at the exact time the bomb was detonated at 22:31 BST.

This always includes her "love you to the moon and back" message.

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