I was 11 years old when I was caught up in the Manchester Arena terror attack - and coming into city still gives me PTSD

In a few weeks time, 19-year-old Amelia Thompson will be running in the Great Manchester Run for a cause that is very close to her heart. 

When she was just 11 years old, she was one of the thousands of concert-goers caught up in the 2017 Manchester arena terrorist attack at an Ariana Grande concert, one of the most tragic moments in Manchester’s recent history. 

Amelia, who is from Derbyshire and currently studying midwifery University of Nottingham, told ManchesterWorld: “I was 11 years old when the terrorist attack took place. I was present with my mum. It's obviously difficult to talk about. We both saw a lot of tragic stuff that night and I am still under counselling and therapy for having severe PTSD from that night. Running for me is like an escape, it clears my mind and obviously going through the Manchester terrorist attack, it is hard suffering from PTSD. So it is an escape for me.”

Amelia will be running and raising money for Liv’s Trust, a charity set up in memory of one of the 23 victims of the terrorist attack, Olivia Campbell-Hardy. This will be her third race in total, and her second Manchester race running for the charity, for which she is also a young ambassador. 

Working with charities like Liv’s Trust is another important part of the healing process for Amelia. She said: “I suppose, for me, it's turning something positive out of something that was so, so negative. That's what keeps me going, by supporting Liv's Trust, by supporting charities that were involved, supporting loved ones and things like that. 

“It was a very tragic night and unfortunately 22 people lost their lives. There's not a day that I don't go without thinking about that. It is hard, but I just have to remember that I can't let terrorism win, I can't let what happened to me win, and I have to rise above that and make something out of it, and help other people, help charities, and turn something so, so negative into something that can be positive.”

One person who will be cheering Amelia on from the sidelines of the Great Manchester Run is Sharon Goodman, Olivia’s grandmother and Liv’s Trust chairperson. 

Sharon told Manchester World: “Everything that anybody does is bittersweet. Amelia is a young ambassador for our charity. Her work ethic is amazing. She works so hard and she is just such a special person to us all. When anybody wants to raise any money or somebody just pushes some money in your hand, it's just very humbling to be honest.”

Liv’s Trust was set up in 2017 to help young people receive an education in music and dance, two things that Olivia was very passionate about. Sharon said: “Olivia was a ballroom and Latin American dancer. She was also a singer, and she wanted to teach so this is like a living legacy to her.

“We decided as a family that we didn't really want something stone, we wanted something organic that would benefit other young people. With the cost of living crisis biting, we now run two free music clubs on a Tuesday and a Thursday at Radcliffe Girls and Boys Club, we're just very busy.”

Amelia is grateful that she has people like Sharon in her life, who understand what she has been through. She said that sometimes even driving through Manchester can be a difficult reminder of what happened. 

She said: “For me it is hard coming into Manchester, driving in, it does give me and mum... it is very nerve-wracking, but I think what does help is seeing Sharon and those friendly faces who understand what I go through. My friends, people like that, they don't know, they can't say that they understand what I've been through, because it's not a common thing. So having people like Sharon and my friends who are also there that I've got in contact with, because of them I have such amazing friends who understand what I have been through and we have a bond that no one can ever understand as well.”

The Great Manchester Run 10k and half marathon will take place on Sunday, May 26.