Call for families to help with Manchester attack monument being built in Shropshire

A bee sculpture is being built at the British Ironwork Centre in Oswestry using a lorryload of guns and knives that were handed in to Greater Manchester Police in an amnesty.

The artwork will be created in memory of victims of the 2017 attack in which a shrapnel-laden bomb was detonated following an Ariana Grande concert.

Twenty-three people lost their lives and over 800 people were injured as a result, leaving families and the city at large completely devastated.

The bee became the symbol synonymous with support for the victims and their families after the attack.

Seonaid Mckay, from the Ironworks, said: "With Manchester’s anti-violence monument symbolising the city’s complete intolerance to all forms of violent behaviour, we wanted to use its creation as an opportunity to reach out to all the families affected by the shocking and deeply saddening event that took place at the Manchester Arena on the 22nd of May 2017.

"We would like to invite all affected families to inscribe something onto the sculpture, allowing them to immortalise their lost loved one whilst simultaneously standing up against violence. The inscription will include the name of a lost loved one or the name of someone who was injured during the attack."

The weapons banks used for the amnesty were created at the Ironworks and have been utilised as a continual programme to encourage and support the public to surrender their dangerous weapons in order to clear the streets of violent and aggressive behaviour.

"Manchester is the first location in the UK to develop and commit to an ongoing amnesty project like this, with all collected weapons to be used to create an anti-violence monument for the city.

Those affected by the incident who would like to make an inscription can call the Ironworks on 0800 6888 386 or email info@britishironworkcentre.co.uk to discuss further.