Focus must now be on helping Manchester Arena survivors live 'best possible lives', says lawyer

Lawyers representing victims of the Manchester Arena bombing say their focus is now on ensuring they are helped to 'live their best possible lives' and are fully compensated for the 'unimaginable suffering' they have endured.

Hudgell Solicitors represents more than 150 survivors of the attack, and families who lost loved ones.

They say that after more than five-and-a-half years of investigations and inquiries looking back over the events prior to and on 22 May 2017, the time has now come to look forward.

Solicitor Terry Wilcox says it is a must if those affected are to be given "the best opportunity to make the most of the rest of their lives", adding that the Public Inquiry has highlighted "catastrophic failures" by those duty bound to protect them.

It comes as he also called for new laws to be introduced to ensure "the full truth" is uncovered during investigations and inquiries, and for extra responsibility to be placed upon the government for ensuring lessons are truly learnt and changes made.

"Today needs to be a day where significant lines are drawn in the sand with regards to this inquiry, future inquires and in holding people and organisations responsible," he said.

"It will be six years in May since this attack caused unimaginable suffering to hundreds of people, and this inquiry has been running for two-and-a-half years.

"The focus in all that time has been on what happened and why, but it must now switch to helping those who suffered so badly for their futures, and ensuring this doesn’t happen again.

"We need to be helping the hundreds of people whose lives were so badly affected to now live their best possible lives, with a focus on ensuing the best possible outcomes for each and every person who was there that night, and whose lives have been left forever changed.

"They need to be fully compensated for the unimaginable suffering they’ve endured, and that means much more than financially, ensuring the very best result is achieved for each and every individual from a social and wellbeing perspective, securing them the vital rehabilitation and support they need to help them towards a better future.

"Whilst we can never erase the horrors of the past, we can hopefully now work to help people towards a better future."

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