Manchester Arena bomb response 'showed strength of city'

Thousands of people gathered for a vigil in Albert Square the day after the attack

The Manchester Arena bombing "left the foundations of the city shaken" but showed the strength of its people, said Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.

Less than 24 hours after 22 people were killed and hundreds more injured on 22 May 2017, thousands gathered for a show of defiant solidarity in Albert Square.

Their resilience "opened the door for Manchester to find its voice again," said Mr Burnham, remembering that week.

Nearly five years on, he said he still gets emotional when speaking about it.

Andy Burnham had only just taken office at the time of the bombing

Ariana Grande had just finished her concert when suicide bomber Salman Abedi detonated his homemade explosive device.

Former Health Secretary Mr Burnham, then new in his role as mayor, said that when he heard about the explosion he realised "that was the moment I had to step forward and provide leadership".

The evening of Monday 22 May 2017 had been "just an ordinary night", Mr Burnham told BBC North West Tonight.

He said he was getting ready for bed when he received a call from his friend, fellow former Labour MP and now mayor of the Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram.

Thousands packed into Albert Square to pay their respects to the victims

"I'll never forget the sheer panic in his voice," he said. "His daughters were at the arena and he was just saying to me 'what's going on?' and that was how I found out.

"I was thinking all through the night what I needed to do."

Mr Rotheram later described how his girls saw "huge panic" in the city but were rescued by a taxi driver.

Mr Burnham said that after speaking to Sir Richard Leese, who was Manchester City Council leader at the time, they decided to hold the vigil at which Tony Walsh performed a rousing poem.

The Manchester poet's recital of This Is The Place "did a huge service to everyone," Mr Burnham said.

"There was a kind of nervousness, but he stepped forward and just rose into the moment and spoke in a way that allowed people to feel that sense of themselves again, who we were, what we were about.

"And he then set that tone, that we're not going to be divided by this, we're not going to blame each other, we're not going to hate each other, that's what terrorists want.

"We saw the worst of humanity and then we've seen the best and I'm proud to lead a place that has the very best of people always on show."

If you're affected by the issues in this piece, you can find support from BBC Action Line.

Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to [e-mail]