‘From such tragedy, something really beautiful happened’

The horrific terrorist attack on an Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena last May which claimed 22 lives and injured hundreds sent shockwaves around the world. The victims of the terrorist attack included teenagers, parents who were collecting their children and an off-duty police officer. The youngest victim was just eight years-old.

Marian Duignan, then a cub leader with the 17th Longwood Scouts group, was deeply affected by the atrocity. At their cubs meeting that week, Marian spoke with children about what had happened and when she asked if they would like to write to a scouts group in Manchester to pass on their sympathy and let them know they were thinking of them, the children loved the idea and were soon putting pens to paper.
Little did they think as they wrote those letters, that they would form a close friendship with the 5th Tyldesley Scout Group and that this friendship would culminate in joint camp in Dublin the weekend before last with plans already being made for the Longwood children to make a return visit next May to coincide with the second anniversary of the bombing.
"From such a tragedy, something really beautiful happened," said Marian and it was a very proud moment for her and her husband Niall who founded Longwood Scouts, as they stood at the camp fire at the campsite at the Larch Hill International Scout Centre and spoke about how it all came about, and the friendships that had been formed among the children.

Recalling the bombing on 22nd May 2017, Marian said: "It was so poignant. I have kids who were 11 at the time. I was heartbroken and thinking about it all that week. I thought I would like to bring it up at the cubs meeting. I had to be careful as didn't want to frighten them but I did want to talk about it."
So at their next cubs meeting they spoke about what had happened and Marian asked if they would like to try contact a group in Manchester to let them know we are thinking of them.
"The children loved the idea," recalled Marian who found the 5th Tyldesley cubs group in Manchester and messaged them through Facebook saying how sorry they were about what happened and asking if their cubs could write to them.
"They thought it was a beautiful idea and from there it snowballed. At the next cub meeting we sat down and wrote letters. I read every one of our letters. It was heartbreaking to see their little feelings on paper, it was beautiful."
The Manchester cubs then sent back their letters and told them how the cousin of one of their leaders had been killed. Leader John Worrall's cousin Alison Howe was waiting in the foyer for her daughter when the blast went off.
From there, Marian told how they kept up contact and one of the Tyldesley leader's David Simpson suggested they should meet up. Of course the children jumped at the idea and the planning started which included a visit in October by their leaders in preparation.
And so on Thursday 5th April, 32 children and seven leaders from Manchester, made their way by ferry with all their camping equipment to Dublin. On Friday evening, 17 of the Longwood cubs who wrote letters, some of whom are now scouts, and seven leaders went to meet them and set up their camp.
"They started chatting to each other straight away and before we knew it, there was a football match going on," said Marian.
"That night the two groups were sitting around the campfire and we spoke of how from something so awful that had happened a year ago, from such a disaster something so beautiful had come."
David Simpson who responded to that first message from Marian said: "From something so tragic, something so beautiful has come about. Friendships have been formed that will last a lifetime and memories have been made that we will cherish forever. We all now have a special place in each other's hearts."