Ariana Grande donates Christmas gifts to children in Manchester hospitals following Arena attack
Pop star Ariana Grande has donated Christmas presents to children in a number of hospitals across Manchester following the Arena terror attack.
The 29-year-old American singer’s performance was ending at the Manchester Arena in May 2017 when suicide bomber Salman Abedi detonated his improvised device, killing 22 people.
In a tweet on Boxing Day, the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital Charity said Grande had given gifts for children and young people spending Christmas in Manchester’s hospitals.
The charity said: “Thank you Ariana!
“We were so excited to receive Christmas gifts for young patients across our hospitals from Ariana Grande.
“The presents were distributed to babies, children and teenagers at @RMCHosp, @TraffordHosp, @WythenshaweHosp and @NorthMcrGH_NHS.”
The gifts from the One Last Time singer were shared among youngsters at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, Trafford Hospital, Wythenshawe Hospital and North Manchester General Hospital, the charity said.
Grande has maintained a close relationship with Manchester since 2017’s atrocity and has spoken openly about struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety as a result of the attack.
Following the blast, the singer tweeted: “Broken. from the bottom of my heart, i am so so sorry. i don’t have words.”
Grande returned to the city in June 2017 after organising the One Love charity concert.
The fundraising event at Emirates Old Trafford cricket ground also featured performances from a host of famous faces including Coldplay, Justin Bieber and Katy Perry.
The singer also donated gifts to Manchester’s hospital patients in December 2020, it was previously reported.
It was understood Grande, along with her now-husband Dalton Gomez, sent gifts and Amazon vouchers to patients at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and Manchester Royal Infirmary.
In the same year, the UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles said on Instagram the couple also sent gifts to its young patients.