A TEENAGER who was at the Manchester Arena where a terrorist suicide bomb attack happened last year will be singing at a memorial event next week.

Jack Hillidge, from Lowton, will be performing before and after a two-minute silence at Pennington Hall Park next Tuesday- on the anniversary of the bombing at the Ariana Grande gig.

The sixteen-year-old will be singing two iconic tracks from the America singer which have become synonymous with tributes made after the tragedy- Somewhere over the Rainbow and One Last Time.

He will also be giving a speech which includes some memorable quotes from Ariana in the days after the attack.

Former Golborne High School pupil Jack, who studies music performance at college, said: "It will be nice to sing and talk at the vigil because I think speaking out about it can help other people.

"For the first 10 to 11 months after the gig I felt numb and found it hard to accept what had happened.

"It is only recently that I have started to get affected by it.

"When the bomb went off it was a noise I have only heard in a film on the news and found myself in a situation I could never imagine being in.

"At the time I was making my way towards the exit where it went off so I was lucky not to have got caught up in it.

"Everyone's immediate reaction was to run to the furthest exit and get out as soon as possible and it was such a relief to get out.

"Obviously there are many people who were in the same situation as me and I think it is important to let them know that they are not alone and they can talk about it.

"As horrible as it has been in the last year, Greater Manchester is such a strong place and everyone have come together really well to cope with it."

Jack returned to the Manchester Arena in December with his brother to watch Liam Gallagher on stage and said walking through the main entrance "put his mind at ease" by returning to the scene of the blast.

No stranger to the stage, Jack starred in plays throughout his high school years such as Grease and Les Miserables and performed at the borough's Let's Sing event at the Robin Park Arena in Wigan in front of 800 people in 2016.

He added: "It can be nerve-wracking and intimidating to sing in front of so many people but when I am on stage I feel like a different person.

"I do not think about anything else at the time other than the song- it is like therapy."

At the event, which will start at 7pm, a two-minute silence will take place.

Balloons will be released into the sky and candles will be lit for the 22 victims who died in the terrorist attack.

A dance group is also set to provide entertainment with a background of Ariane Grande tracks.

The cafe at the park will also be open.

There will also be a minute’s silence held in front of Leigh Town Hall at 2.30pm on Tuesday too.