Bee tram tribute to Manchester spirit after Arena attack

Free travel on the service is being offered to those who show staff a ticket for the concert

A tram paying tribute to the "spirit of Manchester" has begun to run on the city's Metrolink network.

​Tram 3022 has a design inspired by the worker bee, which has become a symbol of solidarity following the Manchester attack on 22 May.

It will carry people travelling to the One Love Manchester charity concert at Old Trafford cricket ground later.

Free travel on the service is being offered to those who show staff a ticket for the concert.

In the days following the terrorist attack at Ariana Grande's concert, hundreds of people queued at Manchester tattoo parlours to get bee tattoos.

One city centre studio was faced with 800 potential customers and an 80-year-old grandmother chose the bee as her first inking.

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

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said: "The incredible spirit of the people of Manchester has been what has sustained us all since last week.

"The Manchester Bee has taken on a new significance over recent days and it is fitting that we display it proudly as many of us head to what will be a memorable and moving event."

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