0:00:04 > 0:00:06Manchester - shocked to the core by a bomb attack
0:00:06 > 0:00:09which killed indiscriminately and senselessly.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13Yet the city has emerged defiant and united.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17Because this is the place in our hearts, in our homes...
0:00:18 > 0:00:19For this week's Songs Of Praise,
0:00:19 > 0:00:23I'm in this great northern city to reflect on events
0:00:23 > 0:00:26as the people who live here and all of us come to terms
0:00:26 > 0:00:28with what's happened.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31We talk to the paramedics who were first on the scene.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34I've been to lots of traumatic incidents,
0:00:34 > 0:00:36but nothing on the scale of this.
0:00:36 > 0:00:40It wasn't until I got home and just sat down and...
0:00:40 > 0:00:42and I just burst into tears.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44One of the victims' friends pays tribute to him.
0:00:44 > 0:00:49He saw the good in everyone and he will never be... never be forgotten.
0:00:50 > 0:00:54And faith leaders unite against the terrorists.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56They shouldn't say God is on their side.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58They should be on God's side.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01And on God's side is love, mercy, justice.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03Choose love, Manchester. Thank you.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15When we hear shocking news on a national scale,
0:01:15 > 0:01:17all of us struggle with what to say or do.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20And it's at times like these that many of us turn to the church
0:01:20 > 0:01:21for reassurance and comfort.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24And the familiar words of our first hymn,
0:01:24 > 0:01:27recorded here at Manchester Cathedral, reflect just that.
0:04:13 > 0:04:14SIRENS WAIL
0:04:17 > 0:04:21The shock and the trauma that hit Manchester and us all
0:04:21 > 0:04:23has been raw and visceral.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26I just want to be here today to just say for the families,
0:04:26 > 0:04:29we are praying for you. We will continue to pray.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33I became very emotional.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36Even in my heart I feel this shivering
0:04:36 > 0:04:38because it's what's happened to the innocent people.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40They are children. I'm a mother.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42I'm a grandmother as well.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44And what's happened to these innocent people,
0:04:44 > 0:04:47it's happened to me. I can feel it.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50But amidst the grief and the pain,
0:04:50 > 0:04:52there's been something else - defiance.
0:04:55 > 0:05:00There's hard times again, in these streets of our city
0:05:00 > 0:05:03But we won't take defeat and we don't want your pity
0:05:03 > 0:05:06Because this is the place where we stand strong together
0:05:06 > 0:05:08With a smile on our face,
0:05:08 > 0:05:09Mancunians forever.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15We made a babygro for today saying that hate won't tear us apart.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18Even though there are some bad people in the world, there's,
0:05:18 > 0:05:22you know... 99% of us are really good people and that's what matters.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24I had to be here.
0:05:24 > 0:05:29Because it was such a gathering of people of not necessarily
0:05:29 > 0:05:33only my Christian faith but of all faiths.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36Faith is all these people around, isn't it? Faith is there.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38It's in your heart.
0:05:38 > 0:05:39God is all around us.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43As the days have passed and in the midst of fear,
0:05:43 > 0:05:46suffering and grief, Mancunians have pulled together.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48People have shared their homes,
0:05:48 > 0:05:52offered lifts and even queued up to give blood following the attack.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56There's a real sense of a community coming together.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01Please, any drinks, anything.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03It's all free.
0:06:03 > 0:06:04Please help yourself.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10I was in Manchester in my taxi.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12People didn't have any money.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16People didn't have any form of transport to get to the hospitals.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18So I picked the first one up.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21Said "I've got no money." I said, "Doesn't matter."
0:06:21 > 0:06:22And that's what I was doing all night.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27Manchester Cathedral, a short distance from the site
0:06:27 > 0:06:30of the bomb blast, was closed for two days.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33So the city's clergy went out onto the streets instead.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36I have a book of condolence here
0:06:36 > 0:06:39that we put out on the street for
0:06:39 > 0:06:41people to sign at our midday prayers
0:06:41 > 0:06:44and there's a very lovely message here.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47"Pray that we all might be active peacemakers
0:06:47 > 0:06:50"to overcome all that disrupts and destroys community."
0:06:53 > 0:06:56On Thursday morning, the Cathedral reopened its doors.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59Once again, it's become a sanctuary
0:06:59 > 0:07:02of prayer and reflection for everyone.
0:07:05 > 0:07:10I met two of the city's faith leaders inside the cathedral.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12I think although there's a lot of grief,
0:07:12 > 0:07:14a lot of distress, a lot of anger,
0:07:14 > 0:07:15that's being channelled
0:07:15 > 0:07:18in very positive ways, and people are hugging each other,
0:07:18 > 0:07:21they're holding hands, they're lighting candles.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24They're coming out into the city and affirming that this is our city
0:07:24 > 0:07:26and no terrorist is going to take it away from us.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30There is absolutely nothing in our traditions, at all,
0:07:30 > 0:07:33categorically, that can justify, allow
0:07:33 > 0:07:36or even encourage, you know, the actions of these people.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40We are peace-loving people, we are men of God together in unison
0:07:40 > 0:07:43and we're not going to be deterred by this, this menace.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45Both of you, now -
0:07:45 > 0:07:47do you know a message for the Christian community here?
0:07:47 > 0:07:49Do you have a message for the Muslim community here?
0:07:49 > 0:07:53I think my message for my Christian brothers and sisters
0:07:53 > 0:07:57is a message of peace and hope and prayer.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59Standing here in this great cathedral,
0:07:59 > 0:08:02we can never allow extremists,
0:08:02 > 0:08:08wherever they're from, wherever they come from, to allow this beautiful
0:08:08 > 0:08:13tradition of ours of love and harmony to be thwarted and divided.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15My message to the Muslim community
0:08:15 > 0:08:16would be simply that you are Manchester
0:08:16 > 0:08:18just as we are Manchester.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20You are as much a part of Manchester this week
0:08:20 > 0:08:21as you were last week.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24You're as much a part of the solution to the problems
0:08:24 > 0:08:27of our present generation as you were last week
0:08:27 > 0:08:30and nothing will come between us and prevent us working together
0:08:30 > 0:08:33to be the way forward for Manchester and beyond
0:08:33 > 0:08:36and I do believe that together, we can in Manchester set a beacon,
0:08:36 > 0:08:39a standard that others can follow.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42It's been a real pleasure spending time with both of you.
0:08:42 > 0:08:43- Thank you so much.- Thank you.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46- Thank you very much. - God bless you.- Thank you.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08APPLAUSE
0:11:09 > 0:11:11BIG BEN CHIMES 11
0:11:22 > 0:11:24On Thursday, the nation came to a standstill
0:11:24 > 0:11:28for a minute's silence to remember the victims of the attack.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36- # So Sally can wait... # - Come on, sing up!
0:11:36 > 0:11:39# She knows it's too late... #
0:11:39 > 0:11:42Then, in Manchester, the local crowd broke into a famous song
0:11:42 > 0:11:48synonymous with the city, Don't Look Back In Anger by the band Oasis.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51# "Don't look back in anger", I heard you say. #
0:11:51 > 0:11:53APPLAUSE
0:11:55 > 0:11:58The people who have been hit hardest by the tragedy are the family
0:11:58 > 0:12:02and friends of the injured and of those who died.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05One of the victims was 29-year-old Martyn Hett
0:12:05 > 0:12:08and one of his many friends talked to me about him.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11How will you remember your friend Martyn?
0:12:11 > 0:12:14The laugh and the smile.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17He lived life every day so nothing ever got him down.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19From what I can understand,
0:12:19 > 0:12:22he went to the bar where he'd met some girls that night,
0:12:22 > 0:12:25some friends that he had literally made that night
0:12:25 > 0:12:27and was talking to them.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30Knowing that that was where he was,
0:12:30 > 0:12:36what he was doing at that time was so Martyn that not only did he...
0:12:36 > 0:12:39was at a place where he loved, he...
0:12:39 > 0:12:43died doing the thing he loved, which was making people smile and happy.
0:12:43 > 0:12:44There's a gap there now.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47Someone who was so happy... that's missing.
0:12:47 > 0:12:52His partner tweeted saying that he left life as he lived it,
0:12:52 > 0:12:53the centre of attention.
0:12:53 > 0:12:54- Yeah.- It's a good quote.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57There's no better quote than that for Martin, I think,
0:12:57 > 0:13:02and I think it's been capped by Mariah Carey, his lifelong hero,
0:13:02 > 0:13:04has posted on Instagram
0:13:04 > 0:13:07about learning about the death of Martyn today.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10I think Mariah Carey actually wrote
0:13:10 > 0:13:12that she'll cherish his memory.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14Yeah! All he ever wanted was to meet her,
0:13:14 > 0:13:16to talk to her and have a conversation
0:13:16 > 0:13:19but he might not have ever got that far
0:13:19 > 0:13:21but today, wherever he is,
0:13:21 > 0:13:25he'll know that she Instagrammed about him and that took off
0:13:25 > 0:13:27and he will love that.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30Do you think Martyn's in a better place? Where do you think he is now?
0:13:30 > 0:13:34I'd like to think he was looking down on us
0:13:34 > 0:13:36and can still have an impact.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38There's so much of him
0:13:38 > 0:13:42around, even on the internet, that he'll never be gone.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44Do you think he'll have a legacy?
0:13:44 > 0:13:48His legacy will be one of...
0:13:48 > 0:13:51of happiness and he saw the good in everyone.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54He will never be... never be forgotten, Martyn.
0:13:54 > 0:13:56He was loved too much to be forgotten.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08# When peace like a river
0:14:08 > 0:14:13# Attendeth my way
0:14:14 > 0:14:20# When sorrow like sea billows roll
0:14:22 > 0:14:25# Whatever my lot
0:14:27 > 0:14:30# Thou hast taught me to say
0:14:31 > 0:14:35# It is well, it is well
0:14:35 > 0:14:39# With my soul
0:14:42 > 0:14:44# It is well
0:14:47 > 0:14:49# With my soul
0:14:53 > 0:14:56# It is well, it is well
0:14:56 > 0:14:59# With my soul
0:15:04 > 0:15:08# Though Satan should buffet
0:15:08 > 0:15:13# Though trials should come my way
0:15:15 > 0:15:20# Let this blest assurance control
0:15:22 > 0:15:26# That Christ has regarded
0:15:26 > 0:15:30# My helpless estate
0:15:32 > 0:15:36# And hath shed His own blood
0:15:36 > 0:15:39# For my soul
0:15:41 > 0:15:44# It is well
0:15:46 > 0:15:49# With my soul
0:15:52 > 0:15:56# It is well, it is well
0:15:56 > 0:15:59# With my soul
0:16:04 > 0:16:08# And Lord, haste the day
0:16:08 > 0:16:13# When the faith shall be sight
0:16:15 > 0:16:21# The clouds be rolled back as a scroll
0:16:22 > 0:16:26# The trumpets shall sound
0:16:26 > 0:16:30# And the Lord shall descend
0:16:31 > 0:16:35# Even so, it is well
0:16:36 > 0:16:40# With my soul
0:16:42 > 0:16:45# It is well
0:16:47 > 0:16:50# With my soul
0:16:53 > 0:16:56# It is well
0:16:56 > 0:16:58# It is well
0:16:58 > 0:17:00# With my soul
0:17:01 > 0:17:02# It is well. #
0:17:16 > 0:17:18During the week, Her Majesty the Queen visited
0:17:18 > 0:17:21those who were injured in the Manchester attack.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23And you HAD enjoyed the concert, presumably?
0:17:23 > 0:17:26- Yeah, it was really good. - Was it?- Yeah.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29She was full of praise for the emergency services.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34Amongst the first to arrive on the scene of the attack
0:17:34 > 0:17:37were paramedics from the North West Ambulance Service.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40That night I was on a rapid response vehicle,
0:17:40 > 0:17:44just dealing with normal emergency calls,
0:17:44 > 0:17:48and then a call came through - I'd been diverted off a chest pain,
0:17:48 > 0:17:50a young male chest pain.
0:17:50 > 0:17:54It came in on the screen, looked at the screen and it said,
0:17:54 > 0:17:57"Bomb explosion at MEN."
0:17:57 > 0:18:00So right away my heart sank,
0:18:00 > 0:18:03because I knew it was going to be possibly genuine,
0:18:03 > 0:18:06with mass casualties. Walking up to the scene,
0:18:06 > 0:18:08I just looked to the side
0:18:08 > 0:18:10and there were just people lined up along the wall,
0:18:10 > 0:18:13just like, hundreds of people, and, erm...
0:18:13 > 0:18:16and I could see the shock on their faces.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19And I looked and I thought
0:18:19 > 0:18:21they were probably looking at us,
0:18:21 > 0:18:23like, six people walking in, thinking,
0:18:23 > 0:18:25"What the hell are THEY going to do in there?
0:18:25 > 0:18:27"There's so many casualties, there's so many people -
0:18:27 > 0:18:29"how are they going to deal with them?"
0:18:29 > 0:18:32Which is what my initial thoughts were as well.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35Because of the magnitude of the whole situation
0:18:35 > 0:18:38and the amount of casualties,
0:18:38 > 0:18:40it was just like,
0:18:40 > 0:18:42patient after patient after patient -
0:18:42 > 0:18:46we were just doing the best we could for them,
0:18:46 > 0:18:49to treat them and then
0:18:49 > 0:18:53obviously get them to hospital as quickly as possible.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56When you look back, there's certain children who I treated
0:18:56 > 0:18:58who will stay in my mind,
0:18:58 > 0:19:02and hopefully they're recovering well now. As well as adults -
0:19:02 > 0:19:04there's adults who I was talking to for a while
0:19:04 > 0:19:07while waiting for ambulances and resources to come and help,
0:19:07 > 0:19:09like, me and Ian treated a lady,
0:19:09 > 0:19:11one of the first ones we treated together,
0:19:11 > 0:19:13and extremely poorly but
0:19:13 > 0:19:16hopefully she's making a good recovery now.
0:19:16 > 0:19:20But I don't think these images will ever leave us.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25Afterwards, when everything had gone a lot calmer, yes,
0:19:25 > 0:19:31mobile phones, it was apparent - I could see them, I could hear them
0:19:31 > 0:19:33going off. Which was
0:19:33 > 0:19:37something quite difficult to take in. Erm...
0:19:37 > 0:19:39Cos it's people, loved ones,
0:19:39 > 0:19:44checking that their friends and family are safe.
0:19:44 > 0:19:45And being in that situation,
0:19:45 > 0:19:50it's harrowing, having to be surrounded by that.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53Whilst you're actually working and dealing with casualties,
0:19:53 > 0:19:56you kind of just crack on with it, you just deal with them
0:19:56 > 0:19:58and you don't think of anything else,
0:19:58 > 0:20:01you just do what you're trained to do.
0:20:01 > 0:20:05But driving back home after that night, I was thinking to myself,
0:20:05 > 0:20:08"What the hell have we just witnessed,
0:20:08 > 0:20:10"what have we just dealt with?"
0:20:10 > 0:20:12The way I've dealt with it is...
0:20:12 > 0:20:14I don't think I have, if I'm being totally honest.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17To have adults losing lives, it's tragic -
0:20:17 > 0:20:21to have children losing their lives, it's something which I don't think,
0:20:21 > 0:20:24- you know...- It's another level, isn't it?- ..you can comprehend that
0:20:24 > 0:20:27till you've actually dealt with situations like that.
0:20:27 > 0:20:31The patients themselves were very, very brave,
0:20:31 > 0:20:32and helping each other.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34I've been to lots of
0:20:34 > 0:20:37traumatic incidents, but nothing on the scale of this.
0:20:37 > 0:20:42It wasn't until I got home and just sat down and...
0:20:42 > 0:20:45You're aware of the impact
0:20:45 > 0:20:49on the city, on your friends, on the families...
0:20:49 > 0:20:50And I just burst into tears.
0:20:50 > 0:20:55I think you draw strength from a combination of places,
0:20:55 > 0:20:57certainly...
0:20:57 > 0:20:59Working as part of a team,
0:20:59 > 0:21:01and a very close-knit team we are,
0:21:01 > 0:21:04really gives you strength to carry on,
0:21:04 > 0:21:07to support each other and talk things through.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11Knowing that you have family at home and friends to talk to
0:21:11 > 0:21:12and support you as well
0:21:12 > 0:21:16is important. And it's something to be very thankful for.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19I think faith does come into it as well -
0:21:19 > 0:21:23whether you are religious or not,
0:21:23 > 0:21:28saying a quick prayer to whoever's listening, erm...
0:21:29 > 0:21:32..can give you some form of rest, I think.
0:21:32 > 0:21:38The people that were there at the scene initially
0:21:38 > 0:21:41to respond to the incident
0:21:41 > 0:21:43were chosen for a reason to go in there
0:21:43 > 0:21:46and to deal with the casualties.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48Erm, and...
0:21:49 > 0:21:52..I'm glad we did get to go in
0:21:52 > 0:21:56and to help these people.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00And I hope we did make a difference at the end of the day.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53Earlier this week, Dr John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York,
0:24:53 > 0:24:56was here in Manchester to join the city's vigil.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59He's been reflecting on what happened, with Pam Rhodes.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07What can you possibly say to people whose lives, whose bodies,
0:25:07 > 0:25:11whose peace of mind have been shattered by this event?
0:25:11 > 0:25:14I think I want to weep,
0:25:14 > 0:25:16and tell them it's all right to weep.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19And it's all right for them to lament,
0:25:19 > 0:25:23it's all right for them to find comfort in others,
0:25:23 > 0:25:25people can hold them -
0:25:25 > 0:25:28because sometimes holding people very close at hand
0:25:28 > 0:25:31is a very, very great, powerful way of helping.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34And I don't think I want glib words.
0:25:34 > 0:25:39Because the trauma is so strong, the loss is so great.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43So is it then up to people of faith - indeed of ALL faiths -
0:25:43 > 0:25:48to work together to fight back, to prevent things like this happening?
0:25:48 > 0:25:51This was quite evident at that vigil.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54I was sitting next to the Imam of Manchester,
0:25:54 > 0:25:58who is determined that they're going to use
0:25:58 > 0:26:02their mosques to be places of saying
0:26:02 > 0:26:04love is stronger than hate.
0:26:04 > 0:26:06Life is stronger than death.
0:26:06 > 0:26:11So the message has gone out, and I'm sure, by working together,
0:26:11 > 0:26:14we're going to find a common ground of really tackling this terrible,
0:26:14 > 0:26:17terrible evil. These heinous crimes,
0:26:17 > 0:26:19people thinking they're doing it in the name of God.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22I'm sorry - they shouldn't say God is on their side,
0:26:22 > 0:26:24they should be on GOD'S side.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26And on God's side is love, mercy,
0:26:26 > 0:26:30justice, and newness of life. And they're taking away life.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33You were at that vigil, it was obviously very moving.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35How do you reflect on it?
0:26:35 > 0:26:40I think when one woman in the crowd, before the vigil started, said,
0:26:40 > 0:26:44"We thank God for the security services,
0:26:44 > 0:26:49"all the professions and everybody," and everybody cheered -
0:26:49 > 0:26:52and when you looked around,
0:26:52 > 0:26:55the majority were young people.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58They came there not to be intimidated,
0:26:58 > 0:26:59not to be frightened,
0:26:59 > 0:27:03and my message, all of them, was "Do not be afraid."
0:27:03 > 0:27:05So the enduring memory -
0:27:05 > 0:27:08here was a group of people saying,
0:27:08 > 0:27:12"We will not be frightened, we will not hate each other."
0:27:12 > 0:27:16That message of choosing love over hate
0:27:16 > 0:27:19- isn't just for Manchester, it's for the whole world, surely.- Yes.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21But human nature being what it is,
0:27:21 > 0:27:25can we really hope that that will ever be ours?
0:27:25 > 0:27:28Erm... If you don't mind, I'm a person of visual aids,
0:27:28 > 0:27:30I'm going to show you one.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32You see,
0:27:32 > 0:27:36on Good Friday, everything was very, very tragic.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39It was like a piece of embroidery.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41It all looks tangled.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45That Good Friday, when Jesus hung on the cross, everything wasn't clear.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49But, you know, God was writing
0:27:49 > 0:27:51an amazing story.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53"God is love."
0:27:53 > 0:27:55So in the midst of chaos
0:27:55 > 0:27:57and confusion and death,
0:27:57 > 0:27:59and brutality -
0:27:59 > 0:28:02out of it, good is going to come.
0:28:02 > 0:28:06It seems that atrocities like this can bring out the best in us,
0:28:06 > 0:28:07so we need to make sure
0:28:07 > 0:28:09that positive things
0:28:09 > 0:28:12can come out of the choices we make now.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15Absolutely positive. Because we're so fearfully and wonderfully made.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18All of us have gifts, all of us have
0:28:18 > 0:28:19a wonderful way
0:28:19 > 0:28:21of relating to one another.
0:28:21 > 0:28:23This is a time
0:28:23 > 0:28:24when creed,
0:28:24 > 0:28:26belief or no belief, culture,
0:28:26 > 0:28:29tradition, need to be buried.
0:28:29 > 0:28:31That what emerges are people
0:28:31 > 0:28:34who really are at ease with each other.
0:31:11 > 0:31:13One of the themes that's resonated through this week is
0:31:13 > 0:31:16don't choose hate - choose love,
0:31:16 > 0:31:19something that's echoed in our last piece of music.
0:31:19 > 0:31:22From the great city of Manchester, goodbye.