Manchester Arena bomb victim's mum hails 'beautiful' memorial

The mother of Martyn Hett, who was killed in the Manchester Arena bombing, has described a memorial to the 22 victims as "a beautiful tribute".

The white marble "halo", entitled Glade of Light, which has officially opened to the public, bears the names of those killed in the 2017 atrocity.

Relatives of the victims made memory capsules containing mementos and messages to be embedded inside.

Figen Murray said the memorial was "really important" for the families.

Twenty-two people died and hundreds more were injured when suicide bomber Salman Abedi detonated a device at the end of an Ariana Grande concert on 22 May 2017.

Ms Murray told BBC Newsbeat: "To have a memorial after what happened is really important, particularly for the 22 families but also for the injured, for people who have been psychologically damaged... and the whole city of Manchester.

"What happened was an attack not just on the 22 killed, it was an attack on our city and our democracy so to mark that is something special."

She also tweeted it was "heart-warming to see everyone being remembered in a space together".

"Martyn's space is under a big old tree and I want to sit underneath it and remember him," she wrote.

Ms Murray, who was appointed OBE in the New Year Honours for her work in counter-terrorism following the attack, said families were allowed to visit the site in December and put their loved one's time capsules in.

"I was apprehensive... but it is quite a beautiful memorial and I really liked it and I feel really comfortable in it," she said.

She said her family had put a memory stick inside her 29-year-old son's capsule containing videos and photographs but they wondered whether the technology would work in future if it was ever opened.

"We had a bit of a laugh and Martyn would have joined in because he had a good sense of humour," she said.

Adam Lawler, whose friend Olivia Campbell-Hardy, 15, from Bury, died in the bombing, visited the memorial earlier.

He was also injured in the attack and told BBC North West Tonight it was a "gentle place for reflection and remembering" and somewhere "to sit and come together".

"I think it's somewhere I will always stop when I'm in town," he said.

"I'll pass through just to take a moment and remember."

The tribute features plants which grow naturally in the UK countryside and have been selected to provide year-round colour and echo the changing seasons.

Around the anniversary of 22 May, the white flowers of a hawthorn tree planted at its centre will bloom every year.

Manchester City Council leader Bev Craig said: "We will never forget those whose lives were lost on 22 May 2017.

"They already had a permanent place in the hearts of Manchester people. Now they have a lasting memorial in the heart of our city.

"The Glade of Light is a beautiful tribute to them and somewhere which will also have profound meaning for everyone affected by the attack.

"We hope the memorial site will be a place of peace and comfort, standing as a reminder that love is stronger than hate."

An official opening event has been planned for spring.

The memorial is located between Manchester Cathedral and Chetham's School of Music, at the foot of Fennel Street where it meets Victoria Street.

Last month, families whose relatives died in the explosion said they were "disgusted" after the memorial site was trespassed on.

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