Manchester attack: Hundreds queue for bee tattoos

People queued outside Holier Than Thou in Oldham Street on Friday morning

Hundreds of people have been queuing at Manchester tattoo parlours to get bee inkings in a show of solidarity after Monday's terrorist attack in the city.

One city centre tattoo studio was faced with 800 potential customers on Friday.

The Manchester Tattoo Appeal was launched by Stalybridge-based tattoo artist Sam Barber, with those taking part donating £50 to help the families of those killed or injured.

Tattoo parlours across the UK are now taking part.

Manchester is adorned with the bee emblem, which is a legacy of the city's textile industry.

Danielle Kosky, 22, got a bee tattoo to show support for the victims of the Manchester bombing

The tattoo appeal was announced shortly after the suicide bomber attack at Manchester Arena on Monday, which left 22 people dead.

Molly Rylance, who was at the concert during the attack, was one of the first to get a bee tattoo.

She said: "I just thought I wanted it to remember - not what happened - but kind of how resilient we are as a community and just how everyone stood together and said that it's not going to break us."

Many people queuing for a tattoo in Manchester's Northern Quarter had to be turned away due to demand

Tattoo artist Sam Barber said people were using it as a "symbol of strength".

"We've actually got a lot of family members of some of the victims coming forward who want it as a memorial tattoo now," she said.

"Paramedics and health workers who were on the scene, who were there in the aftermath - who also want to come together and get that tattoo done. "

Molly Rylance was at the Manchester Arena on Monday and decided to get a bee tattoo

Holier Than Thou, in Oldham Street, said 800 people turned up for a bee tattoo but most had to be turned away for the day due to the demand.

Danielle Kosky, 22, who managed to get a bee tattoo, said: "It's a nice way of showing support for the victims, their families and to remember them forever - not just now.

"I didn't know how else to offer my support. Facebook and Instagram are good, but this will be on me forever, not just words that you see on a screen."

Manchester's bee

• The bee has been an emblem of Manchester since the Victorian era

• Several theories exist about how it became the city's symbol, but a popular one suggests a German architect described Manchester, then rich with mills and factories, as a "hive of activity"

• It is a worker bee, symbolising the industry of the city and its people, and was adopted into Manchester's coat of arms in 1842

• The bee can be found around the city, including on bollards and in the mosaic tiles of the Town Hall