TEARS FOR OLIVIA
Parents break down at funeral of Manchester bombing victim Olivia Campbell-Hardy as schoolgirl is laid to rest in coffin sporting city’s famous bee symbol
THE parents of Olivia Campbell-Hardy broke down as her blue coffin - complete with a Manchester worker bee symbol - was carried past them at her funeral this afternoon.
Hundreds of mourners came to pay their respects to the teenager who was killed in the Manchester Arena bombing last month.
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Her coffin was adorned with flowers and an England flag - with a bee, the symbol of Manchester, on it.
Olivia's mum, Charlotte Campbell, and stepdad Paul Hodgson stood in tears while holding hands as the beloved teenager's coffin arrived at the Parish Church of St Anne, in Tottington, Bury.
Her mum had got a tattoo of a bee on her chest in tribute to her daughter after hundreds of Mancunians also got inked to raise money and show support for the victims of the atrocity.
To mark the life of the 15-year-old her loved ones asked mourners to wear blue or bright colours to pay tribute to her.
Charlotte, who last week met Ariana Grande ahead of her One Love Manchester concert, said ahead of the funeral: “We are asking everyone to wear blue or bright colours, no black, and casual as that’s what she would have wanted. We want this to be a celebration of her life.”
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The service for Olivia was intended to ‘celebrate her life’ rather than mourn her passing - the funeral was open to members of the public but people wishing to pay tribute to her life were asked to donate to her school's music department rather than bring flowers.
Her family said she had dreamed of becoming a music teacher and want other pupils to enjoy learning music in Olivia’s memory.
She was at the Ariana Grande gig with her friend Adam Lawler when terrorist Salman Abedi struck on May 22.
Olivia had gone to the concert by Ariana Grande at Manchester Arena with her friend Adam Lawler who was badly injured by the blast.
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Her mother Charlotte made a desperate TV appeal for information in the agonising hours after the outrage, only for stepfather Paul Hodgson to receive the call her family had feared.
In total 22 people, including many children and teenagers, were killed in the attack.
The youngest victim was he bombing saw Britain raise its terror threat level to critical for the first time in a decade.
The schoolgirl, from Bury, Greater Manchester, loved music and had previously auditioned for Britain's Got Talent in Manchester, singing her favourite song, All Of Me by John Legend.
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A recording of the song will be played at the youngster's funeral.
The musician himself sent a recorded message to Olivia's mum and stepdad when they appeared on Good Morning Britain to say he had heard her version of his song and praised it.
The terrorist behind the horrific attack last month targeted people coming out of the gig, killing and injuring people who had come from all over the UK.
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