Comhairle Convener Writes to Mayor of Greater Manchester

In a letter sent last week to Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, Comhairle Convener, Norman A MacDonald, said:

"People throughout the Outer Hebrides were deeply saddened and shocked to hear about the terrible event in Manchester on the evening of Monday 22^nd May 2017. 

For us this dreadful incident occurred far away but it is all the more poignant given that two young girls, Eilidh Macleod and Laura Macintyre, from one of our schools were involved in the attack and this morning we woke up to the news that Eilidh had succumbed to injuries sustained in the attack. Needless to say, our hearts, thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of all those affected and we can only hope the others who were injured make a full recovery. 

Laura remains in a serious condition in a hospital in Manchester. 

We will be supporting the MacLeod and Macintyre families, both in Barra and in Manchester, and are ready and willing to assist in whatever capacity we can.

I thank the people of Manchester and the emergency services for all that they have done to help people in their time of need.

I am confident that, given time, our communities will recover from this barbaric attack on our young people.  Tony Walsh’s poem 'This is the Place' epitomises the resilience and determination already shown by the people of Manchester.

Communities in the Hebrides stand in solidarity with you and our thoughts will be with you all during the challenging times ahead."