Manchester Arena attack survivor's plea for more support

A man whose partner was killed in the Manchester Arena attack has called for more support for victims after being left feeling "abandoned and lost".

Paul Price suffered catastrophic injuries in the bomb blast but said these were "insignificant" to heartache of losing his partner Elaine McIver.

He said it had been "a living nightmare" and urged the government to set up a survivor's hub for victims.

The Home Office said: "We know there is still more to do."

Ms McIver was among the 22 people killed when suicide bomber Salman Abedi detonated his home-made device at the end of an Ariana Grande concert on 22 May, 2017.

On the night of the bombing, Mr Price and Ms McIver had gone to collect his daughter from the concert.

Mr Price spent eight months in hospital being treated for his injuries, which included losing the function of one leg, becoming deaf in one ear and having shrapnel embedded in his body.

He told BBC Breakfast how it was "terrifying" when he left hospital and came into a "whole new world".

"Everything had changed for me, the person I was because of my physicality and because I had lost Elaine," he said.

"I felt abandoned, lost and directionless and I didn't know what to do.

"It was a living nightmare."

Mr Price and Darryn Frost, a survivor of the Fishmongers' Hall terror attack, are calling for a survivor's hub where victims can seek multiple services.

Mr Frost, who pursued terrorist Usman Khan with a narwhal tusk in the attack on 29 November 2019, told of how he still suffered night terrors.

He said he had "disengaged" with applying for funding from the government's Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA).

"They keep pressing you for evidence and you start to feel like you are on trial," Mr Frost said.

Meanwhile Mr Price, who was continuing with the process, said he "still had not received a penny" from the CICA.

"Every time they request more information it takes me back to that day. It mentally destroys me," he said.

Mr Price added that it "feels like they do not believe him" and that he kept having to submit medical records to the authority.

He said he had no help when trying to locate services and had to "stumble on organisations" himself.

Mr Price suggested a "dedicated pathway" should be created for victims so they can access the correct help.

The Home Office said: "The commitment made to the protect duty in the Queen's speech and the 2019 manifesto remains.

"We are working hard to bring forward this important piece of legislation as soon as possible."

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