Manchester Arena attack memorial garden given go-ahead

Plans to create a permanent memorial to the 22 victims of the Manchester Arena bombing have been approved.

The garden, named The Glade of Light, will include a "stone halo" centrepiece bearing the names of the victims.

Building work is set to begin on the garden, which will be sited alongside Manchester Cathedral, in March.

Council leader Sir Richard Leese said the site, which should be completed by November, "promises to be a beautiful tribute" to those killed in the attack.

Twenty-two people were killed and hundreds more injured when Salman Abedi detonated a bomb in the foyer of Manchester Arena as fans left an Ariana Grande concert on 22 May 2017.

The memorial, which forms part of a scheme by the city council to improve what they have termed the Medieval Quarter, will also include personalised memory capsules.

These will contain items provided by each victim's loved ones, which will be held within the centrepiece stone.

Joanne Roney, chief executive of Manchester City Council, said "reaching this point has involved a long and meticulous journey".

"We made a solemn commitment to honour the 22 people who were killed in that heinous attack and it was important that we took great care to deliver something moving and appropriate," she added.

Sir Richard added that the memories of those who died "will endure and Manchester will never forget them".

A public inquiry into the fatal bombing started in September to look at the circumstances leading up to and surrounding the terror attack.

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