Manchester City Council (MCC) updated the masterplan for its Medieval Quarter to introduce a “Glade of Light” to serve as a permanent memorial to the 22 victims of the May 2017 Manchester Arena terrorist attack. It is being funded by £500,000 raised through the We♥MCR fund.
Glade of Light was designed to be a tranquil garden space, with a planting scheme planned to ensure year-round colour and reflect the changing seasons. Tree locations have been calculated to maximise light and ensure the garden gets as much sunlight as possible.
At the heart of the memorial is a white stone ring ‘halo’ which bears the names of the 22 who lost their lives set in bronze, with personalised memory capsules – containing memories and mementos provided by their loved ones held within the stone.
Families of those who lost loved ones in the attack have been consulted and kept informed during the memorial process, including on the appointment of designers BCA Landscape and Smiling Wolf. The construction work is being overseen by Galliford Try. The project was completed in January 2022, in time for the fifth anniversary of the attack.
Installation of Lighting at the memorial garden
Altitude Services Limited (ASL) commenced works in March 2021, providing the installation of lighting to the memorial garden, including 17 highly decorative columns with spotlights, 3 of which carry gobo projectors, 8 new spherical lanterns on bridge parapet, all cabling, terminations (existing feeder pillar) and removal of 8 existing columns. We collaboratively worked amongst a number of multidisciplinary subcontractors, including hard and soft landscapers, drainage specialists and ducting installers. The design has been future-proofed to incorporate elements such as brackets fixed to streetlights that were compatible with plans for later CCTV installations.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit, luminaires which had been ordered in advance through a trusted supplier had been delayed in Germany. ASL kept Galliford Try informed of the situation and worked together on programming and scheduling. Please see the testimonial below:
“Installing the remainder of the luminaires today was a real milestone for us. It clearly hasn’t been straight forward with supply issues, but none of this was your fault and I couldn’t have asked any more from you in terms of your reaction to these challenges, your flexibility and support all the way through. Despite the delay on the delivery of the luminaires, we still managed to open the scheme to the public on time, it was on budget, and to a high-quality standard, all without a lost time incident or service strike. So, there’s a lot for us all to be proud of, and I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for the part you have played in achieving this.”
Adam Liu, Galliford Try, Project Manager
The Location
The memorial is located between Manchester Cathedral and Chetham’s School of Music, at the foot of Fennel Street where it meets Victoria Street. These are the two main stakeholders on site and they were regularly informed on access arrangements with a particular focus on ensuring business as usual during key events, e.g. Queen’s visit, services, funerals, weddings, increased deliveries to the school during holidays. Communication was through a multi-channelled approach including face-to-face meetings, monthly newsletters, time-lapse and drone footage and the use of boundary fencing that allowed passers-by to view the works. In October 2021, the project was awarded a Considerate Constructors Certificate of Excellence.
Victoria Street had previously been closed to vehicles for eight years with temporary uses throughout. MCC wished to upgrade the area as a key gateway to the city centre.
Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council, commented: “Manchester will never forget the terrible events of 22 May 2017. Those who were killed, those who lost loved ones and all those whose lives changed forever that night are forever in our thoughts.”
Joanne Roney, Chief Executive of Manchester City Council, also commented:
“Reaching this point has involved a long and meticulous journey. We made a solemn commitment to honour the 22 people who were killed in that heinous attack and it was important that we took great care to deliver something moving and appropriate.”
