Mum of teenage Manchester Arena bombing victim tells of family’s battle to cope

The mother of a 14-year-old girl who lost her life in the Manchester Arena bombing has told of the family’s battle to cope in the years following the atrocity – and how they think of what she would be doing now. Jayne Jones, mum of teenager Nell, spoke as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are due in Manchester city centre later today to attend the official opening of a memorial to the 22 people murdered in the terror attack.

William and Kate will gather for a service at the Glade of Light – a white marble ‘halo’ bearing the names of those killed in the May 22, 2017 outrage. The duke is expected to speak at the short ceremony and Kate will lay flowers.

The Royal couple will then join a private reception inside Manchester Cathedral afterwards to speak to some of the bereaved families and those involved in the response effort, Kensington Palace said.

At the Manchester Arena public inquiry in September, 2020, Nell’s family told of the ’14 wonderful years we all shared together’ in a touching tribute to her young life. Nell’s brother, Sam Jones, read out a statement compiled by her parents, Ernie and Jayne, and the wider family.

“As a family we miss her so much,” Sam said in the tribute. “She lit up our days with her energy and passion. Everyday was an adventure for Nell and we were all carried along with her.”

Nell, who had three older brothers, was from Goostrey in Cheshire, a pupil at Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School. Her teachers said she excelled in maths and English and ‘shone’ on the stage.

A drama teacher paid a special tribute, saying of Nell: “She immediately brought energy and enthusiasm to her role and stood out completely as a talented and charismatic young lady. She stood out as a star right from the start.”

One of her friends, meanwhile, said she would never forget the moment Nell first came running into the classroom – ‘she couldn’t stop smiling’. “Nell was the best friend anyone could ever have wished for,” she said in the statement read by Nell’s brother. “She was kind and thoughtful – always thinking about how she could help anyone out who was upset or in trouble.”

The memorial, which opened to the public in January, is located alongside the cathedral and was designed following an international competition. Personalised memory capsules, filled with memories and mementoes of those who lost their lives provided by their loved ones, have been embedded within the stone.

It is conceived as a living memorial – a peaceful garden space for remembrance and reflection, featuring plants which grow naturally in the UK countryside selected to provide year-round colour and echo the changing seasons.

Mrs Jones, speaking ahead of the fifth anniversary of the bombing, said: “It can be very hard, actually. You put a brave face on it, you have to do and you do cope with it. I don’t know how you cope with it but you do. But it is hard and you do think what she’d be doing now.”

Ms Jones said the family had placed objects important to Nell in her capsule at the memorial. “We’ve put her pen portrait in that was used at the inquiry,” she said. “It encapsulated Nell – that covered everything that Nell did and how Nell was. And we’ve just got photographs in of the family… it’s part of Manchester’s history isn’t it?”

The Duke of Cambridge previously attended a National Service of Commemoration at the cathedral in 2018 to remember those who lost their lives. Joanne Roney, chief executive of Manchester City Council, said: “As we approach the fifth anniversary of the May 22 2017 attack, the Glade of Light is a potent symbol of how Manchester will continue to hold those who lost their lives, and everyone who was affected by those terrible events, in our hearts. We will never forget them.”

Hundreds of people were injured alongside the 22 who died, who included six children under 16 with the youngest aged just eight, in the attack by suicide bomber Salman Abedi at the end of an Ariana Grande concert.

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