Manchester Arena bombing victim was trying for a baby, inquest hears 

One of the victims of the Manchester Arena bombing was trying for a baby and had begun choosing baby names, the inquiry has been told.

Kelly Brewster, 32, had started making a list of baby names on her phone and had an offer accepted on a new home on the morning of the attack in May 2017.

Miss Brewster, an insurance claims assessor from Sheffield, was a keen follower of pop music and went to the concert with her sister Claire Booth and niece Hollie, both of whom were seriously injured in the attack.

Since the attack, Hollie has appeared in a wheelchair on Britain’s Got Talent with dance troupe Rise, and her family said in a statement to the inquiry: ‘Hollie misses everything about her Aunty Kelly. If Hollie could pick one thing, she wants to live her life to make Kelly proud and she has enough fight in her life for both of them.’

The inquiry heard that Miss Brewster had sent a text to her partner, Ian Winslow, at 7.20pm that evening, telling him that she loved him.

They had met through friends, three years earlier at her 30th birthday party and her family said in a statement: ‘It became obvious very quickly that Kelly and Ian were made for each other.’

They both loved travel and went to Salou in Spain, California, New York, and Las Vegas together.

It wasn’t long before they moved in together and they would leave little notes around the house saying how much they loved each other, the inquiry heard.

Kelly introduced Ian’s daughter to Harry Potter and in February 2017, all three of them took a trip to London and Disneyland Paris.

‘Not long afterwards Kelly and Ian decided to try for a baby and purchase a new home together,’ her family said.

‘Kelly longed to be pregnant and had already started to make a list of baby names on her phone.

‘On the morning of May 22 they had an offer accepted on a four bedroom house where they were planning to build their future.

‘Kelly was so excited on the drive over to Manchester, showed off all the photographs of their house, and talked about it non-stop.

‘She had planned which would be Phoebe’s room and where a nursery would go and could not wait to start this new chapter in her life.’

Her family talked of a ‘long and painful wait to find out if Kelly had been pregnant when she died’ saying it was ‘just impossible to comprehend.’

Her mother, Kim Brewster, is ‘in constant pain’ and worried she cannot picture Kelly in her mind or hear her voice when she thinks of her.

Her father, Kevin Brewster, has had a stroke and heart attack since the attack and regularly takes the train to Manchester to sit in Victoria Station because it is where he feels closest to Kelly.

Claire has lost her ‘side kick and her closest friend’ and Adam, her brother, ‘misses the amazement and excitement she showed at the little things in life that no one else ever thought of.’

A number of friends gave statements, including one called Becky, who said: ‘Kelly lived a short life but did more in her 32 years than most do in a lifetime and I am glad about that. It was a short life but certainly a life well lived

‘There were so many things left for her to do. One of those was to be a mum. I have no doubt that Kelly would have made an amazing mother and I know it’s something she really hoped for. This was to be her next big adventure or at least it should have been.’

Jeremy Williams-Chalmers, described Ian as her ‘Prince Charming’ and said she was not alone when she died.

‘In that arena there were over 14,000 people watching a concert by a performer they loved. The evening was one full of happiness and heart and as we all mourn those who are no longer with us, let’s all make sure to learn to live in love,’ he added.

The brother of a 15-year-old victim of the Manchester Arena attack, who saw her lying on the ground after the explosion talked about their unique and special relationship and love of music.

Megan Hurley from Halewood, Merseyside, had been a huge fan of Ariana Grande from an early age and was desperate for tickets for her UK tour, the inquiry was told.

She was given them as a Christmas present and went to the concert with her older brother Bradley, then 21, who shared her love of pop music.

Megan and Bradley entered the City Room foyer at 10.30pm and were three metres from the explosion. He suffered two broken legs in the blast and looked over to see his sister lying dead on the ground.

In a statement read to the inquiry, Bradley said: ‘There are not enough words in the dictionary or hours in the day for me to paint an accurate picture of Megan.

‘I can’t share every memory I have because even if I did, you still couldn’t understand because our relationship was personal, unique and individual to us.’

The boyfriend of a student who was killed in the bombing as she picked up her younger sister said they ‘loved each other to bits.’

Courtney Boyle, 19, a psychology and criminology student at Leeds Beckett University, had queued with her sister Nicole to pick up her tickets.

She had been picked up by her family on the way from their home in Gateshead to go with them to Manchester for a day out.

Nicole had saved up all her birthday money and pocket money to pay for a VIP ticket to see Ariana Grande perform, the inquiry was told.

The rest of the family went for a meal before waiting in the car, chatting and laughing, for the concert to finish. Then Courtney went with her step-father Philip Tron to pick up Nicole, entering the City Room foyer at 10.22pm, nine minutes before the blast.

They were standing in front of the doors to the arena, about four metres from Salman Abedi at the time of the explosion.

Courtney’s boyfriend, Callum Maundrill, described how they had met two years earlier at the Leeds-Reading Festival, when she walked into him.

‘She walked straight into my chest, by accident, head first. We laughed and got chatting,’ he said in a statement read to the inquiry.

After the festival, they stayed in touch despite living in different cities.

‘She made the good times great and the bad times bearable,’ he said. ‘I know I did the same for her because we lived each other to bits.’

The comedian Jason Manford made a video for the family and friends of Martyn Hett which was shown to the inquiry calling him a ‘Stockport Legend’ and encouraging people to Be More Martyn.

‘You will literally see thousand so people from all over the world from different walks of life,’ using the hashtag, he said.

‘They’ve put the rules of life to one side and told them life’s too short. There’s no time for hate, there’s barely enough time for love.

‘If you want to tell this boy or girl how you feel, do it today. If you want to try something you never have, do it this weekend, if you want to go to a place you’ve never been, go this afternoon.

‘What are you waiting for? Life is full of negatives, don’t be another one. Be More Martyn.’