BELLE OF THE BALL

Schoolgirl, 11, badly injured by shrapnel in Manchester Arena attack manages to walk into her school prom after gruelling physiotherapy

Gemma Mullin

Published: 18:54, 20 Jun 2017
Updated: 22:30, 20 Jun 2017

A SCHOOLGIRL who was badly injured by shrapnel in the Manchester Arena attack managed to walk into her school prom after gruelling physiotherapy.

Acacia Seward, 11, underwent two operations after shrapnel pierced an artery in her left leg and lodged just above her knee in the horrific bombing, which killed 22 people last month.

Acacia Seward, aged 11 with pal Olivia Fox, left, at her school prom, where she managed to walk in without her crutches after being injured in the Manchester terror attackCredit: MEN Syndication

Acacia Seward during s a surprise visit from her netball sporting heroes Manchester Thunder players Emma Dovey, left, and Kerry Almond, rightCredit: Manchester Evening News

The schoolgirl, from Bardsley, Oldham, needed both internal and external stitches to both of her legs and since then has used crutches to walk.

But she was determined to go to her prom without them and told people she "would" do it, "not might".

After spending six days in hospital and just a few weeks of exhausting physio sessions, Acacia walked into the Hulme Grammar School prom in Oldham unaided.

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Her proud mum Shula Coward said she had no doubts Acacia would achieve her goal.

She told : "She walked in but we kept her crutches on standby.

"There were some things she couldn’t join in with, the limbo for example.

"She had an amazing time."

Shula said her daughter "came on leaps and bounds" after the Ariana Grande concert terror attack last month.

An injured woman is helped from by two others from the scene of the horrific attack last monthCredit: London News Pictures

The horrific attack killed 22 people and left more than 100 people injured after a bomber detonated explosives at an Ariana Grande concert in ManchesterCredit: London News Pictures

During her recovery, she was given a surprise visit at home from her netball sporting heroes at Manchester Thunder.

Hundreds of mourners came together today to pay their respects at the funeral of Olivia Campbell who was killed in the attack.

Her coffin was adorned with flowers and an England flag – with a bee, the symbol of Manchester, on it.

Olivia’s mum, Charlotte Campbell, 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.

Her mum and stepdad walk behind the coffin as it is carried into the churchCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd

Her mum breaks down as she arrives for her daughter's funeral after she was killed in a terror attackCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd

Olivia Campbell was killed in the terror attack in Manchester last monthCredit: Olivia Campbell/Facebook

It comes as a charity revealed it's still getting as many as 14 calls a day from people seeking help and support from the attack.

Victim Support says a quarter of the calls are on behalf of children, some as young as six.

Suicide bomber Salman Abedi killed 22 people and injured more than 200 others when he detonated a device at the Manchester Arena as people left an Ariana Grande concert on May 22.