Advertisement

Manchester bombing victim's family: Government must 'open its eyes'

The family of one of the Manchester bombing victims has called on the Government to "open its eyes".

Georgina Callander, 18, was one of the 22 people killed by a suicide bomber who struck after an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena last Monday.

In a tribute to the teenager, her family said: "Her life was taken away after 18 short years by evil, evil men prepared to ruin lives and destroy families, for what?

"I wish I could say that Georgina is one of the last to die in this way but unless our government opens its eyes we know we are only another in a long line of parents on a list that continues to grow."

Georgina, who was studying health and social care at Runshaw College in Lancashire, had been accepted to Edge Hill University and was "doing great" in her exams, her family said.

She had also recently passed her driving test and was "loving life", they added.

"Georgina was as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside, with a smile that was never-ending.

"She always had big hugs for everyone and her life was blooming like the flowers she loved."

The Callander family thanked those who had sent messages of love and support, adding: "Thank-you for the hugs, love and kind words; they really have had a profound effect on us."

They also thanked the police and rescue services, adding: "Without their sacrifice this would have been a lot worse."

On Saturday, mother Lesley Callander said how she had found her daughter on a stretcher as paramedics fought to save her life in the aftermath of the explosion.

:: Major events go ahead amid heightened security

She said: "I was just screaming and shouting at her. I was rubbing her hands, I was rubbing her tummy. I was rubbing her face. I don't know what was running through her mind.

"It was just a flicker of hope that she'd move her hand or move her leg or try and open her eyes a little, just to acknowledge that I was there, just to let me know that she was very, very poorly but she knew that I was there."

Meanwhile, off-duty police officer Elaine McIver, who was also among those killed, has been described by her family as "one of a kind" who "had an impact on so many lives".

A statement by her relatives' said: "She was a friend to so many and an amazing daughter, sister and aunt. Her love for all was immense and she was like the glue that held us all together.

"Our lives have been enriched by the time that we have had with her, but they will never now be the same again."

The family of fellow bombing victim Nell Jones also released a tribute to her, saying she was "top class", "clever" and "fun".

They told of a teenager fond of shopping and "spending money", with plans to work over the summer "so she could spend more".

"She had told her brothers she planned on buying a new pair of shoes and expensive make-up every two weeks.

"She had her dad and her brothers wrapped around her little finger."

Nell was 14 and a student at Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School in Cheshire, and her family said she was "a great friend and listener" who "always put everyone else before herself".

She had been "so excited" about going to her first pop concert, they said, adding: "She was singing in the car all the way there."

Nell's family thanked their community but said that their hearts had been "shattered".

"We loved Nell so very much - she was our world."