TEARS were shed and tributes were paid yesterday to mark the second anniversary of the Manchester Arena bomb blast, which killed 22 people and left many more with life-changing injuries.

With the Arena being just a short hop over the Pennines, music fans from Bradford and surrounding parts of West Yorkshire had travelled in their hundreds to the Ariana Grande concert.

Among those killed in the atrocity was mum-of-two Wendy Fawell from Otley, who had been waiting to collect her children with her best friend. Her friend, Caroline Davis, was among the estimated 800 people injured on the night.

Martin Hibbert, who lived in Wibsey but has since moved to Bolton, was left paralysed with injuries described as the equivalent of ‘being shot 22 times at point blank range’.

Meanwhile, Queensbury teenager Eve Senior, a pupil at Beckfoot Thornton Academy, was left with a catalogue of injuries, including 18 shrapnel wounds and burns to her leg. Her image appeared on the front page of several national newspapers.

Teenagers Bethany Cook, a Shipley College student from Bingley, and Chelsea Woolley from Bradford were also among those who survived.

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For many, the trauma of the event still lingers in everyday life, from a crowd of people at the train station to a loud noise.

Speaking on the second anniversary of the attack, Ellie Clayton from Baildon said the explosion still stays in her mind, but she is determined to make sure it doesn’t hold her back.

The 20-year-old attended the gig with her best friend and younger cousin, and was right at the front of the arena when she heard a bang that sounded like a loud gunshot.

People who had been going down the stairs into the station began to run back and tried to get out of any other available exits.

Miss Clayton and her group reached a fire exit near the backstage door but security held the door for about two minutes.

She said: “I can’t believe it’s been two years because it still seems kind of like it was yesterday. I don’t really speak about what happened and what we saw.

“I’ve been to one arena concert since it happened. I was with all my family. I didn’t really feel like I’d gone on my own. It took us ages to get in because of all the security checks.

“I want to go see Ariana again, I don’t know if it’s her or a big tour... I just don’t know if I can go and see her.”

Miss Clayton, who works in Trinity Shopping Centre in Leeds, said she is glad security has increased massively since the terrorist attack and not just for music events.

She told the Telegraph & Argus: “It will never stop me from doing things, you can’t live your life not doing things because it can literally happen anywhere at any time.

“It is in my mind and I think, working where I work, it’s very busy. If there’s a loud noise I do get really panicky and really nervous.

“I’m thinking of everyone’s families that have lost someone.”

And, at a time of reflection, survivors are striving to remember those whose lives were lost in a positive way.

Bomb survivor Caroline Davis took part in the Great Manchester Run’s 10k route last weekend in memory of all those killed, including best friend Wendy.

Mrs Davis said it was a personal mission, with all of the donations being split between all of the charities set up by the 22 victims’ families. The involved charities include those in memory of eight-year-old Saffie Roussos and young couple Chloe Rutherford and Liam Curry.

She said: “This is really for Wendy, to remember her - we’d have done it together if she was here. The sponsorship money will be shared between all the people who’ve lost someone and set up charities.”

The 41-year-old suffered shrapnel wounds and a dislocated elbow in the arena attack and had to have her arm ligaments reconstructed. A burn in her arm also left a large hole, requiring skin grafts. Physiotherapists at the Manchester Institute of Health and Performance have helped her recovery but poor health recently limited her training. She said: “I’m aching all over and have blistered feet but I did it. The atmosphere was great and I got very emotional when I saw the finish line and my family.”

Yesterday. singer Ariana Grande paid tribute to all those who lost their lives with a nod to Manchester’s iconic working bee symbol on her Instagram.

And tears were shed during an emotional civic memorial service in Manchester to mark the second anniversary of the attack.

The invitation-only commemoration at St Ann’s Church was attended by family members of those killed in the atrocity, along with some of the hundreds injured and first responders to the scene.