A MOTHER who survived the Manchester Arena terrorist attack has spoken out about her family’s ordeal six months after the atrocity.

Angela Crossley and her husband were at the venue on the night of the attack in May with their two daughters aged 14 and 17.

Twenty-two people were killed and 512 injured by suicide bomber Salman Abedi, who struck shortly after the concert by Ariana Grande had finished.

Mrs Crossley, of Keighley, who is sharing her experience of how the charity Victim Support has helped her family in the attack’s aftermath, said they had been heading for the arena exit when the bomb exploded.

“My husband saw the flash and we all heard the noise and felt the heat and dust on our faces,” she said.

“I asked him what it was and he said a bomb.

“Suddenly everyone started screaming and running towards us. I went to run but my husband grabbed me and the girls and said we’re not running because we’ll get crushed.

“There was a family in a private box who came out and asked what was happening and my husband asked them to let us in.

“When we got inside, their children were hiding under the table and my eldest daughter started to have a panic attack.

“By that time people closer to the bomb who were injured, but could move, had all run past so the floor was covered in blood and there were shoes all over the place.

“Even then I didn’t comprehend a bomb had gone off. A young man came running down and stood beside us and said ‘they’re all dead, they’re all dead and they’ve got guns’. At that point I thought we were going to die.

“We went to the exit and people were still running down the stairs. It was chaos.

“Once we got outside there were people screaming and vomiting but because the venue was so huge, there were also people from the other side who’d no idea what had happened and were smiling and laughing with their pink balloons.

“We were obviously in shock for a couple of days after. It was very surreal – it was like we had been watching a movie, it just didn’t feel real.”

Mrs Crossley added that a few days after the bombing she and her husband were contacted by anti-terrorism police.

She said: “They interviewed me and my daughters and gave us the Victim Support number.

“I initially held off from contacting Victim Support because I felt there were people whose needs were greater than ours.

“But I spoke to a colleague and she said just because you weren’t physically hurt doesn’t mean you weren’t affected.

“I called the number and they were friendly and helpful. We were assigned our Victim Support volunteer Nigel, who was very professional and thoughtful.

“Nigel has been coming to our house once a week. He spoke to my husband a few times, and he’s still working with me and my daughters.

“He’s gone out of his way to help. As well as the emotional support, he’s helped with practical things like bringing us personal alarms.

“Nigel accompanied me and my husband on a police supported visit to the MEN Arena before it reopened.

“We saw just how close we were to the blast, the holes in the walls, blast marks on the floor. It was very hard but it helped me piece together things in my mind.

“My eldest daughter attended a Victim Support group for survivors of the Manchester attack. They met once a week for six weeks.

“Every week it was a different topic – things like understanding how the brain works to process this type of trauma, understanding how important it is to be listened to.

“My experience with Victim Support has been really positive. Everyone has been friendly and helpful and I’m so glad I took my friend’s advice and got in touch.”