MANCHESTER – (Reuters) – The following are short profiles of those identified by family or friends as being among the 22 people killed in a suicide bombing after a British concert by U.S. singer Ariana Grande.
GINA (GEORGINA) BETHANY CALLANDER (18, from Lancashire)
Georgina Bethany Callander was an 18-year-old health and social care student, a music fan who had met Ariana Grande as well as other performers with whom she had posted many pictures on social media. “So excited to see u tomorrow,” she had tweeted to the star the day before the concert.
Her former school, Bishop Rawstorne near Leyland in Lancashire, described her as a lovely and popular student who would be dearly missed by her two brothers. Bolton Wanderers Football Club also posted condolences on its web site, as Georgina had played in its under-11s girls team.
Some of her friends set up a crowdfunder to help her family with the cost of her funeral.
JOHN ATKINSON (from Radcliffe, Bury)
John Atkinson, who was reportedly 28, studied health and social care at Bury College and his friends have set up a Facebook page in his memory.
Local lawmaker Ivan Lewis tweeted: “My thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of John Atkinson. Our Radcliffe community will do all we can to support John’s family”.
SAFFIE ROSE ROUSSOS (8, attended Tarleton Primary School in Lancashire)
The youngest victim named so far, Saffie Rose Roussos was described by the headteacher of her school, Chris Upton, as “simply a beautiful little girl in every aspect of the word. She was loved by everyone and her warmth and kindness will be remembered fondly.”
“The thought that anyone could go out to a concert and not come home is heartbreaking,” he said. “Saffie was quiet and unassuming with a creative flair.”
MARTYN HETT (29, public relations manager from Stockport)
Martyn Hett described himself on an internet profile page as someone with a silly sense of humour who liked “strong women and low culture”.
Hett was a fan of the long-running British television series Coronation Street, set in Manchester, and had a tattoo of one of the characters on his leg. He had a vivacious personality and appeared on television several times in the series “Come Dine With Me” and on magazine programmes talking about his love of the series and his tattoo.
His brother Dan confirmed his death on Twitter, as did his friend Russell Hayward.
“He left this world exactly how he lived, centre of attention,” Hayward said.
OLIVIA CAMPBELL (15, from Bury)
In a last conversation, schoolgirl Olivia Campbell thanked her mother Charlotte for allowing her to go to the Ariana Grande concert, and told her she loved her.
The family spent most of Tuesday frantically searching for her and her mother confirmed on Wednesday that she had been found dead.
“RIP my darling precious gorgeous girl Olivia Campbell taken far far too soon go sing with the angels and keep smiling mummy loves you so much,” her mother posted on Facebook.
(Reporting by Elisabeth O’Leary; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
