The brave mother of terror attack victim Olivia Campbell-Hardy has paid tribute to her “cheeky” daughter with a Manchester bee tattoo inked above her heart.
Tragic Olivia, 15, was one of 22 people killed in the nail bomb massacre at an Ariana Grande concert on Monday.
Her distraught mother Charlotte Campbell, 36, and partner Paul Hodgson both choose poignant, matching inks in memory of the teenager.
They had the bee emblem of Manchester – with Olivia’s name and birthdate, November 28, 2001 – tattooed over their hearts at Skin City studio in Tonge Moor Road, Bolton on Thursday.
The worker bee was adopted as a motif for Manchester during the Industrial Revolution.
Olivia was killed in the horrific attack by 22-year-old Salman Abedi as crowds were leaving a concert by US Pop star Ariana Grande at Manchester arena.
She was attending the gig with best friend Adam Lawler, aged 15, who remains in hospital with serious injuries.
Her distraught mother yesterday (thurs) described the heart-sinking moment a police liaison officer told her Olivia had died.
She said: “I got the call, I was outside and I got the horrific news.
“I looked up to the sky and a shooting star went across.
“At that time I didn’t think anything but I look back now and it was Oli passing over. It was phenomenal.”
Ms Campbell claims she received 18,000 Facebook messages after the news of her daughter’s death, the sheer volume broke her phone.
She has now revealed how the family want to make Olivia, who was a talented singer, a star.
Olivia’s family plan to make a recording of her performing the John Legend hit All Of Me, to release as a charity single and want it to become the ‘song for Manchester’.
Mr Hodgson, 47, said: “All she wanted was to be a famous singer.
“All Of Me was her favourite song and we want her singing it to be the song for Manchester.”
Her family wants the single to raise money for the Manchester Evening News terror attack appeal which has already reached £1.3 million.
They hope the idea will catch the attention of Simon Cowell and that he will make Olivia’s dreams come true.
Olivia would have turned 16 in November and her mum had promised she could do a skydive.
Her mum said Olivia was not overly girly growing up but she had begun enjoying girly things as she got older and was talented with her make up.
She describes how she encouraged Olivia to live “life to the fullest”.
“I wanted her to be happy and to live her dreams. I was 21 when I had her,” said Ms Campbell.
“I messed my life up, school and college. My life has been my family. I wanted it to be different for my children. I wanted her to live life to the fullest.”
Olivia, known as Oli by her friends and family, had the pet name Princess at home and her 17-year-old sister Catriona was called Fred.
Despite being younger than Trina, Oli was the ‘big sister’ said her mum.
Her ‘cheeky’ personality brightened their home and Ms Campbell said she could never tell her off because she would just make her laugh or try and wind her up further.
Ms Campbell joked: “Oli was the worst child ever, we would joke she had 666 on her head. She was so cheeky.
“She would give her teachers so much grief, but in a good way.
“She was off school one time and a teacher said to me, ‘I miss her giving me cheek’.
“I’ve told her school friends, I want you to keep Oli alive and give all your teachers grief.”
Ms Campbell remembered a ‘That’s So Raven’ impression Olivia would do, bursting in a room shouting ‘Bonjour!’.
Speaking about the emotionally charged vigil on Wednesday in Whitehead Gardens in Bury, Ms Campbell said events like those did help. She said: “I’m thankful they’re happening and I’m grateful.”
Before Ms Campbell the vigil, Mr Hodgson had taken the lead when speaking in public about the attack.
He said: “I was about to step forward and Charlotte just came to the front and said all that off the top of her head.”
Speaking at the vigil, Ms Campbell asked that her daughter should not be remembered as a victim.
Olivia’s body has yet to be released to the family but they are planning to have a blue coffin and a blue drape at her funeral.
Ms Campbell said her daughter would be cremated and her ashes would be scattered.
