British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pledged to discuss plans for a permanent memorial for the victims and survivors of terrorism, as he marked the UK’s first national day dedicated to them.
The National Day for Victims and Survivors of Terrorism seeks to honour those lives and recognise people who have been marked forever by attacks on British soil and overseas.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony in London, Mr Burnham expressed his “deep admiration” for the survivors and victims’ families and said the government would do more to support them. “Too often people have not had the support they deserve,” he said.
He spoke of his own experience dealing with victims of the Manchester Arena attack in 2017 and the Heaton Park Synagogue attack last year when he was mayor of the city.
The UK government will look at reforming the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority as well as access to legal assistance for victims, Mr Burnham said.
“There is something remarkable about how we come together as a country in those darkest moments,” he said. “As time passes, most people go back to their lives, but for those who lived through the trauma, there is no return to normality.
“Today matters because it says you are not alone. You have not been forgotten. This is a moment to remember the loved ones lost and anyone who has survived the very worst of humanity.”
The ceremony followed the launch of a support hub for victims in early June, which provides specialist trauma-informed support for anyone affected by a terrorist incident, including a free helpline.
The consequences of terrorism last “years and decades”, warned Thelma Stober, who survived the 7/7 bomb attacks in London in 2005 and has since dedicated her life to supporting other survivors.
“Resilience is not about forgetting, it is about finding the strength to continue despite profound loss and adversity,” she said,
Cheryl Stollery, whose husband John was killed in the 2015 terror attack in a holiday resort in Sousse, Tunisia, told the audience that she missed him every day.
“As long as we live, they too will live, for they are now a part of us as we remember them,” she said.
Paul Price sustained life-changing injuries and lost his partner Elaine in the Manchester Arena bombing. He described how “the world I knew was gone” without her and with the disabilities he has had to tackle with physiotherapy.
“I will never be the man I was before 22 May, 2017. That man died in the City Room [foyer] with Elaine. The man who emerged had to adapt every part of daily life – physical, emotionally and practically.”
