Manchester Arena bomb attack fund raises £21.6m

Various Top (left to right): Lisa Lees, Alison Howe, Georgina Callander, Kelly Brewster, John Atkinson, Jane Tweddle, Marcin Klis - Middle (left to right): Angelika Klis, Courtney Boyle, Saffie Roussos, Olivia Campbell-Hardy, Martyn Hett, Michelle Kiss, Philip Tron, Elaine McIver - Bottom (left to right): Eilidh MacLeod, Wendy Fawell, Chloe Rutherford, Liam Allen-Curry, Sorrell Leczkowski, Megan Hurley, Nell Jones - CORRECTVarious
Twenty two people were killed in the blast on 22 May 2017

A charity set up to help victims' families and survivors of the Manchester Arena attack raised £21.6m.

The We Love Manchester Emergency Fund, launched in the wake of the blast which claimed 22 lives, stopped taking donations on 31 January.

The final round of funding will go to those left permanently disabled or who still require significant surgery or rehabilitation, the charity said.

It thanked contributors for their "kindness, generosity and solidarity".

Chair of trustees Edith Conn said the money had "helped many, many people".

Getty Images One Love ManchesterGetty Images
Ariana Grande put on a benefit gig in the city shortly after the bombing

The charity said although the majority of funds raised has gone to bereaved families, it was keen to also help those who require continuing medical support and care.

It said there was £1.1m left, which includes £75,000 match-funded by the NHS, for six months of intensive physiotherapy care at the Manchester Institute of Health and Performance for some of the most severely injured.

Pop star Ariana Grande was performing at the arena on the night a suicide bomber blew himself up in the foyer on 22 May 2017.

The One Love Manchester benefit concert, organised by her and staged in the city the following month, helped raise £7.3m for the fund which was started by the Manchester Evening News in the hours after the blast.