Ariana Grande sends Christmas presents to kids in Manchester hospitals

Ariana Grande continues to send Christmas presents to children in Manchester hospitals, five years on from the terrorist attack at the Manchester Arena in 2017.

Taking to Twitter, the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital charity shared a photograph of the gifts, thanking Ariana for her generosity.

They explained that the gifts had been distributed to children at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, Wythenshawe Hospital and North Manchester General Hospital.

"Thank you Ariana!," they wrote on Twitter.

"We were so excited to receive Christmas gifts for young patients across our hospitals from Ariana Grande.

"The presents were distributed to babies, children and teenagers at @RMCHosp, @TraffordHosp, @WythenshaweHosp and @NorthMcrGH_NHS."

The gifts could be seen surrounding a huge Christmas tree, with a sign that reads: "Thank you Ariana."

Since the attack, Ariana has always had a strong connection with Manchester.

The devastating events took place on 22 May 2017, when suicide bomber Salman Abedi detonated a bomb in the foyer of the Manchester Arena, which killed 22 people, some of whom were children.

Two weeks after the attack, the singer returned to Manchester for a surprise visit for the survivors and injured fans at the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital. She also spoke to the families who had lost loved ones.

Ariana then staged the star-studded One Love benefit concert at Old Trafford cricket ground, which featured appearances from Little Mix, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus and many more.

The British Red Cross has since revealed that over £2.35 million was raised following the benefit concert.

The inquiry into what happened on the evening in May 2017 began in September 2020.

It highlighted several failures, including missed opportunities by authorities, and noted that the perpetrator, Abedi, should have been identified as a threat by arena security.

One devastating report revealed how a member of the public had alerted staff to a suspicious individual with a backpack, but after attempting to radio in to the control room, security were unable to make contact.

It also added that despite five officers being assigned to the arena, 'there was a complete absence of any British Transport Police officer in the City Room' in the half hour before the bomb detonated.

There were also criticisms over decisions not to question Abedi after he returned to the UK from Libya four days prior. He was never stopped or questioned despite knowledge of terrorist connections.