On the 22 May 2017, the city of Manchester suffered a horrible terror attack that affected our community and changed the lives of so many innocent people.

One little girl, her mum and dad are three of the many injured survivors of that fateful night and they spent almost three weeks in the hospital recovering from their injuries. She is in my son’s class at school and maybe because I personally know a few of the good people who were injured I became unbelievably sad. I was not only sad for my son’s friend, her parents and their family but for all the people who lost their lives and the other injured people too. I was sad for what the future held for our little children growing up in a world where terror strikes at the core.

I started to think about all the children at school who knew Lily Harrison or who knew someone else who had been at the arena attack and what a huge impact it has made on their innocent hearts and minds. I decided that I wanted to paint a mural with the children of Didsbury Road Primary School to try to include them in creating a powerful, positive message of togetherness, love, peace, harmony, community and survival.

I approached the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital to see if they would like to receive the mural as a donation. But due to strict health and safety regulations they could not but instead suggested I contact The Ronald McDonald House.

The Ronald McDonald house which opened five years ago is an amazing home from home that provides rooms to families of children who are staying in hospital. The charity has helped 3500 families since then including those that were injured in the attack. They need to raise £800 000 per year in order to run the house successfully and that is why along with the donated piece of artwork I am also raising money for them.

The children at Didsbury Road Primary have each decorated a hexagon and have drawn and painted a large bee. The mural, once completed will measure 2.4 x 1.4 meters and will hang proudly at The Ronald McDonald House for all who visit to see.

I'd like to thank my sponsors for their generous donations that has made this all possible;

B&Q for the MDF board and painting supplies

Hobbycraft for the paper and oil pastels

Printing.com in Didsbury for printing 700 little hexagons

And Dave Wadsworth for helping me collect the supplies from B&Q 

Thank-you for reading.

Toubie