Mother describes the night she frantically searched for her daughter during the Manchester Arena attack

A mother has spoken of how she frantically searched for her daughter on the night of the Manchester Arena attack.

It was just like any other summer evening in the city, six years ago, when groups of young Ariana Grande fans flocked to the Manchester Arena, to enjoy an evening watching their favourite pop star perform live.

Parents dropped their excited kids off at the steps as they joined their friends to sing along to songs, dance and have a good time.

Watching on as their young ones were growing into young adults and telling them to ‘have fun’ but ‘be safe’ too — no one expected the horrific events that would unfold.

Lisa, a mother of two daughters, waved her youngest off as she went to the concert with her friend — she was 14 at the time — and worried just as any mother would, knowing her daughter was about to go to her first concert without her.

She said: “The concert itself was the first that she could go to on her own. I’d been to every other Ariana Grande concert with her. They got dropped off by her friend’s mum, and then we [Lisa and her eldest daughter] were picking them both up.

“Me and my eldest daughter sat in the car waiting for her. And my eldest was going to meet my youngest daughter on the steps as they came out.”

Lisa waited in the car as her eldest daughter went over to wait for her younger sister and her friend on the steps near the main entrance. Lisa was sitting in the car wearing her pyjamas after just having a bath, and  was listening to music.

Her eldest daughter was on the phone to her friend but she couldn’t hear anything so she moved away from the entrance and down the steps just moments before the explosion — close to where the bomb went off.

“And the next thing, my eldest phones me, ‘mum, a bomb’s gone off!’, and then her phone died,” Lisa said.

She frantically tried to call her daughter back but there was no signal and her eldest daughter’s phone was completely dead. She tried to call her youngest daughter and her friend — who were both still inside the arena — but calls wouldn’t go through. Panic set in.

Lisa continued: “ At this point, I’m thinking the worst. I’m thinking they’re all dead. I started running towards the arena as everyone was coming out. Crowds of people were coming out; some were injured, some were crying.

“Parents collapsed when they saw their kids and were just hugging them in relief on the floor.

“I still tried to call the kids but couldn’t get anything so I phoned my daughter’s friend’s mum and explained what had happened, and she said, ‘right, I’ll track them and see where they are’.

“Luckily, she tracked her daughter to be running towards one of the hotels, so she told me [where they were]. At that point, I bumped into my eldest daughter and we both ran together to try to find them.

“It was only five or 10 minutes that I couldn’t find my kids. But, in those five or 10 minutes, I thought they were dead. Those five or 10 minutes felt like hours, running around the place crying, looking for my kids. It was absolutely horrific.”

Lisa found her daughter and her friend — who had both ran to safety at a nearby hotel.

“You can imagine the relief when I found my daughter and she was scratch-free. I managed to get the girls to the car.” They then went home and put the news on to find out about what had just happened.

Lisa’s daughter and friend were at on the opposite side of the arena when the bomb went off. She still feels guilty about letting her daughter go to the concert without her. She went on to describe that even though her youngest daughter did not suffer any physical injuries, she has suffered greatly mentally from the ordeal.

She said: “Her telling me what she had to run past to get out — that would have been avoided if I’d have been there. As a mother, that’s how I felt.

“My daughter unfortunately developed an eating disorder after it. She was scared of crowds, loud bangs and a lot of things. She became very withdrawn.”

Lisa described that night as ‘the worst fear you could ever imagine’, adding: “I can’t remember anything other than just pure panic and thinking, ‘I just need to find my girls’.” Despite the trauma of that horrific night and the effects it has had on her youngest in particular, Lisa went on to talk about the bravery and determination her daughter has shown since.

After that dreadful night, her daughter went on to set up a support group to help survivors of the attack and allow them to talk with one other. She also helped set up a small group of 22 people who meet up every anniversary to remember and honour the 22 victims. Each year, they light candles, release 22 balloons and be just be there for each other.

Her daughter is also now finishing her second year at university, where she is training to become a paramedic. She was inspired after the events of that night and now wants to go on and help others.