Manchester Arena Anniversary – a year on
A year ago today, brought an incident of unprecedented scale to Manchester. The people who were affected by the attack and are living with the aftermath, remain in our thoughts.
I am so proud of our staff, who offered their support immediately, without question or hesitation, many on a purely voluntary basis as they were not even supposed to be on duty, and headed to various emergency departments to offer mental health and spiritual first aid to those traumatised by the incident.
Their work remains as important now as ever. Even though the physical injuries may heal, it’s not uncommon for anniversary dates to evoke difficult memories and feelings. Should this be your experience in relation to the Arena bombing, support can be accessed via the Greater Manchester Resilience Hub (tel: 0161 716 2626).
We will be observing a minute’s silence today at 2:30pm. Please observe this however you feel is appropriate.
Whilst today will be difficult – it is also a chance to reflect on how we as a community and as a health service react with care, compassion and professionalism, even in the most extreme circumstances. I am proud to lead an organisation who continues to support and help those who still live with effects of that day.
Neil Thwaite
Chief Executive
Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
