The One Love Manchester concert was emotional, but it was also life-changing

The tragedy that occurred on the 22nd May at Manchester Arena will have effected people in many different ways. I was lucky to make it out of the arena that night but I knew that the after effects of such an event would take a long time to heal. I did not know however, that such a big part of this healing process would be down to one night less than two weeks later.

The day of One Love Manchester arrived and I found myself facing another concert sooner than I had ever anticipated. I was going to take the exact same time train I had taken into Victoria, to the same city I had ran through in fear less than two weeks before. There were endless reports of the heightened security at the venue and I began the trip to Manchester with the knowledge that the police had worked “around the clock” to make the event as secure as possible. Though this was reassuring, my apprehension was stronger than excitement when thinking of One Love, especially when I arrived into Manchester Victoria and I saw the entrance to the MEN Arena.

Within seconds of arriving in the crowd at One Love Manchester however, all of my fears had disappeared and all I felt was an incredible love. Witnessing the great police presence and high security at the entrance to the venue did help to reassure me, but it was the power of the love in the crowd which truly showed me that everything would be ok.

I have never felt so much love in one place, and I will probably never feel such great love from so many people in one place again. I admire every artist who performed, but above all, Ariana Grande. To come back to a city which she publicly confessed had ‘broken’ her with such strength and resilience is incredible and I, like many others, will always be thankful for that.

One Love Manchester was so much more than a concert. It opened the eyes of everybody in the crowd that love can overcome any fear, it highlighted Manchester’s continued strength as a city, and showed the world that it will never be broken.