What does the Manchester bee tattoo mean five years on from the arena attack?

Video report by ITV News' journalist Tasha Kacheri

The worker bee has been a proud part of the Mancunian identity since the 1800s.

It became even more prominent after the Manchester Arena attack in 2017, when 22 people were killed and even more were injured after a terrorist detonated a bomb following an Ariana Grande concert.

At the time, thousands of people came together to raise money for the families who suffered in the aftermath of the attack by getting worker bee tattoos.

The idea came from a woman called Sam Barber, from Stalybridge in Tameside.

With the help of hundreds of tattoo artists across the region, they raised more than half a million pounds for the victims, families and survivors of the bombing.

Five years on, I've speaking to several people with bee tattoos to see what it means to them.

Many of the people I spoke to said the attack left such an impact on they that they felt that they needed to do something to help.

Arthur Perkins, a Manchester native said: "I had to do my bit, it was my first tattoo, I waited for 12 hours in the que - we were chatting to people, swapping stories and having a good time".

Many people spoke about the sense of community and the city coming together, especially on the day of the Bee Tattoo drive.

At SWacred Art Tattoo Parlour in Chorlton, Manchester - their owner Samantha Brotherston said that people were queuing around the block, the atmosphere was electric and businesses came out to offer food and water to people waiting in the ques.

Looking back, Sam said she felt proud to be a part of the drive and the Bee tattoos have come to mean much more than just a tattoo.

She said: "If someone sees that you have a bee tattoo they will tell you where they were on that day."

Now, these tattoos have come to not just symbolise hope and solidarity but a movement and identity.

Sam said that people who are not even from Manchester still come in all the time for a bee tattoo. The money raised from the extra tattoos have gone to help people who are homeless in the city.

She said: "It's nice to be able to tell my own children and grandchildren, it's just a shame that something so terrible had to me instrumental to create that".

Many others got bee tattoos to remind them of how lucky they are. Sharon Evan's daughter was at the Arena with Friends.

She said: "I couldn't get hold of her, waiting to hear from her was the worst moment of my life.

"I got a bee tattoo for my daughter and her friends, not just to celebrate the fact that she is a live but to remember all the people who weren't so lucky and lost their lives."

Sally Gregson was working for the Make a wish foundation, on the night of the attack.

She accompanied a family to meet Ariana Grande then left early due to childcare issues.

She said "It shows me how lucky I am, I have no regrets and I share that tattoo with a lot of people, it's a nice thing."

Melissa Miles was at the concert with her little sister, she got a bee tattoo to remember all the young girls who did not get a chance to grow up.

She said: " I wanted to feel like as I was doing normal teenage stuff they were able to live it through me, things that they'd never get to experience."