Ariana Grande says 'my heart is with you' on the Arena anniversary

Ariana Grande has sent a message of support on the fourth anniversary of the terrorist attack at her  Manchester Arena concert where 22 people were murdered.

The singer posted a message on her Instagram account as prayers were said, candles lit and church bells tolled in Manchester in remembrance of those killed in the suicide attack.

Grande wrote: "I know that this anniversary will never be an easy one. Please know that I am thinking of you today."

She posted a picture of a love heart made from bees, which is a symbol of Manchester, she added: "Manchester, my heart is with you today and always."

Their names of the 22 people who lost their lives in the attack were also read out at prayer service at Manchester Cathedral.

Rogers Govender, the Dean of Manchester, welcomed a small socially distanced congregation to the gathering which included relatives of those who died.

He described it as a "solemn day in the life of our city when we remember the lives of 22 beautiful people".

Video: Dean of Manchester reads out the names of the 22 victims

Manchester has promised to never forgot those who lost their lives on the fourth anniversary of the Manchester Arena bomb attack.

The names of the 22 people who died in the terrorist attack, many of them children have been read out in a special service at Manchester's Cathedral and the church bells tolled.

Flowers have been left at Manchester's Victoria station for the victims, including 15 year old Megan Hurley from Liverpool and childhood sweethearts Chloe Rutherford and Liam Curry from South Shields who died together.

Greater Manchester's Mayor Andy Burnham lit a candle at Manchester Cathedral, watched on by some of the victims' families who were at the Cathedral for the special anniversary prayers.

The victims' families have been paying their own tributes and have been sent messages of support from across the city, with promises those killed and injured will never be forgotten.

Martin Hibbert was the closest person to the bomber to survive. He'd taken his daughter Eve to the Ariana Grande concert and they both suffered life changing injuries.

People have been posting messages of support with the 22 images of the city's worker bee, which became a symbol of unity and defiance in the wake of the attack.

During the day, the cathedral will be open from 9.30am to 4.30pm for private prayer and the lighting of candles.

The cathedral bells will toll at 10.31pm - the precise time when the bomb when off - as well as those of St Ann’s Church in St Ann’s Square, which became a sea of flowers and tributes in the days after the 2017 attack.

From next year, the focal point of any commemorations will be the new Glade of Light memorial which is being built close to the cathedral.

Salman Abedi killed himself and 22 others when he detonated a huge suicide bomb in his backpack as mainly young concert-goers were leaving the Arena.

“This year will pay our respects once more, albeit in a necessarily low key fashion, and our thoughts remain especially with the families of those who lost loved ones in the attack.”

Home Secretary Priti Patel has paid tribute to the victims, and the spirit of unity in the city.

The bomber's brother, Hashem Abedi, was jailed in 2020 for a minimum of 55 years for his part in the bomb plot.

A public inquiry into the background of the attack is ongoing in Manchester.

Fusilier Lee Rigby, who was murdered in a terrorist attack in London is also remembered today on the 8 anniversary of his death.

The soldier from Middleton, who had a young son was attacked in outside Woolwich barracks by two Islamic extremists, who had set out to kill.

The Mayors of Greater Manchester and London are among the many people paying tribute to him today.