The city of Manchester has pushed ahead with a bank holiday weekend packed with major events, refusing to allow Monday night’s terror attack act as a deterrent.
On Sunday morning, tens of thousands of people travelled to central Manchester to watch 40,000 runners – including elite athletes, amateurs and children – take part in the annual Great Manchester Run.
Armed police lined the route, which ran from Manchester city centre, through Trafford, into Salford and back again. Officers were brought in from North Wales, Merseyside, West Yorkshire and Cheshire to strengthen security.
There had been speculation that the run would be cancelled in the wake of Monday’s bombing, which killed 22 people and injured many more, but organisers confirmed on Wednesday that the race would go ahead as planned.
They said they had consulted with Greater Manchester police and Manchester city council before making the decision to stage the event, which is the third biggest mass participation run in the UK, after the Great North Run and the London marathon.
Among the runners was the former Manchester United captain Bryan Robson. He told the Manchester Evening News he hoped everyone would enjoy the day. “This is what Manchester people are like,” he said. “They’ve come out united together and still want to try to enjoy themselves, even though everybody’s condolences go to the families.”
Carl Austin-Behan, former Lord Mayor of Manchester, who was also running in the race, said the huge number of spectators demonstrated that the city was “not going to be beaten by this”. He said he had taken part in the run a few times in the past, but had never seen such big crowds. “There will have been a lot of people who were a bit hesitant about coming, but will then have thought ‘let’s prove a point and show solidarity’.”
The run came the morning after 50,000 people attended a concert by local band the Courteeners at the LCCC Old Trafford cricket ground, the first major music event in the city since Monday’s Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena.
Fans were asked to arrive at Old Trafford early and not to bring bags. A statement from the venue said extra patrols and checks would be place at the stadium and the surrounding area.
“If you think you can beat us, you don’t know who we are”, frontman Liam Fray told the crowd, many of whom were holding banners that paid tribute to the city’s character. The gig included a rendition of the Oasis hit Don’t Look Back in Anger, which has come to symbolise the city’s resilience in the face of tragedy.
Inspector Phil Spurgeon from GMP’s Manchester city centre team said his officers were grateful for “the overwhelming support and kindness” people in the city had shown, ranging from “hugs and kind words to boxes of pizzas being delivered to police stations”.
“Just today, a lady who wanted to do her bit for Manchester has arranged for a delivery of 2,400 tea bags to be brought to us to be able to make a warm brew after patrols,” he said, adding that they were looking into passing some of the gifts on to volunteers who had been working since Monday night.
“It’s great to see so many people coming into the city centre to support these events this weekend, enjoying everything this great city has to offer and showing that people are feeling safe,” said Spurgeon. “We have still got an increased police presence, as people would expect, and this will continue through the bank holiday and beyond, ensuring that people do continue to feel safe.”
It was announced on Sunday that the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund, which was set up by Manchester City council in partnership with the British Red Cross following the attack, had reached £5.65m donations in just five days.
In a letter to the Guardian, the leader of Manchester city council, Richard Leese, thanked everyone around the country and around the world who had expressed support for the city. He wrote: “We have been touched by thousands of heartfelt messages from across the globe, the vast majority of them from ordinary citizens, and the mass of floral tributes left by those touched by the tragedy.The appeal’s supporters have included Justin Timberlake and Tim Burgess of the Charlatans, as well as actor Martin Freeman. More than 80 runners taking part in Sunday’s run, including the mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, donated the money they raised to the appeal. Other donations include a pair of shoes signed by Chelsea and Arsenal football club players at Saturday night’s FA Cup final, which will be auctioned or given away in a raffle.
“The people of Manchester themselves have shown remarkable spirit: people of all backgrounds coming together to show their determination not to allow those who seek to sow fear and division to win.”
On Sunday afternoon, hundreds of people queued outside tattoo parlours across the city to get the city’s bee symbol inked on to them for £50, part of a campaign launched by Manchester tattoo artists to raise money for the fund, which will help the victims and their families.
The worker bee was first used as a motif for Manchester during the industrial revolution as a tribute to Mancunians’ work ethic and community spirit, and it appears on dustbins, lampposts, bollards and paving stones across the city.
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