Hundreds of mourners have lined the streets of Manchester to bid farewell to Saffie Roussos, the youngest victim of the terror attack that took place at an Ariana Grande concert in May. Saffie, eight, from Lancashire was one of the 22 people killed; her mother Lisa was seriously injured and was only recently discharged from hospital. Saffie's parents Lisa and Andrew were pictured arriving at Manchester Cathedral for the funeral, with their son Xander.
The family had asked mourners to bring a single rose for Saffie, in honour of her middle name Rose, while her mum Lisa wore a rose-patterned dress. Saffie's older half-sister Ashlee Bromwich, who also attended the concert, donned a flower-patterned frock and a pair of cat ears, a famous trademark of pop star Ariana. Other mourners wore pink, Saffie's favourite colour, while some carried balloons reading "RIP Saffie" and "Fly High Sweetheart".
Saffie's mum Lisa, brother Xander and sister Ashlee attend the funeral
The little girl's casket was decorated with pink flowers and carried into the cathedral by a group of pallbearers on Wednesday afternoon. Her funeral took place some two months after the tragedy and is the last of the Manchester bombing victims. The service was led by The Very Reverend Rogers Govender, Dean of Manchester Cathedral and was followed by a private cremation.
Speaking about his daughter on what would have been her ninth birthday in early July, Andrew told the BBC: "She was a joker. She was a huge character. She was just everything you could wish for in a little girl. She loved dancing, music, gymnastics. If she wanted something, she would do it. [She loved] fame, stardom. I know that Saffie would love her pictures to be on, and to be spoken about on TV." He added: "We've lost everything. We have, we've lost everything, because life will just never be the same."
Saffie's dad carried a red rose in tribute of his daughter, Saffie Rose
Saffie's mother Lisa was put in a medically induced coma due to her injuries, and Andrew spoke of the moment that she woke up, revealing: "[Lisa] just looked at me and said, 'She's gone isn't she?' and I said 'Yeah'. She goes, 'I knew'."