Defiant Britons come together in wake of Manchester bombing
DEFIANT Britons yesterday kept calm and carried on in the wake of the Manchester atrocity by attending a host of sport and music spectacles on one of the hottest days of the year so far.
The Radio 1 Big Weekend held at Burton Constable Hall, near Hull, attracted a big crowd
Prince William summed up the resilient mood of the nation as he laid a wreath on the pitch at the FA Cup Final at Wembley to honour the victims of the bombing.
An accompanying note, signed “William”, read: “We will never fear coming together to celebrate all that unites us. In memory of the friends and family taken from us in Manchester.”
We will never fear coming together to celebrate all that unites us
A ring of steel was thrown around events including the Aviva Premiership Rugby Final at Twickenham and the Scottish Cup Final at Hampden Park in Glasgow.
Manchester also hosted the Great City Games in Albert Square and 50,000 music fans watched The Courteeners at Old Trafford.
Prince William lays a wreath at the FA Cup Final
Crowds bathed in the sunshine as temperatures reached 85F(29.5C).
Security was reviewed at more than 1,300 events over the weekend, including today’s Great Manchester Run and the Army was called in to support 1,100 armed police across the country.
Children at Weston-super-Mare, Somerset
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At Wembley the 90,000 crowd of Arsenal and Chelsea fans kept a minute’s silence before the kick-off.
Lifelong Chelsea supporter David Kostis, 71, said: “As everyone’s been saying, just carry on as normal. No terrorist will stop me watching my team.”
Armed police guard Wembley’s big match
In Hull, 50,000 music-lovers attended the two-day Radio 1 Big Weekend.
DJ Nick Grimshaw told the crowd before a minute’s silence: “After that we’re going to defiantly make a really loud noise – to show we are here for everyone affected.”