A special bus carrying the name of Olivia Campbell-Hardy, one of the 22 victims of the Manchester Arena bombing, was unveiled outside Tottington High School this morning, Monday 19 January.
The special TfGM vehicle will drive the 469 route, Olivia’s former school run, to memorialise the teenager who is remembered as the ‘life and soul’ of the classroom.
The ‘bittersweet’ event was attended by Olivia’s family, former teachers, current students of Tottington High, and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham. Olivia’s grandmother, Sharon Goodman, revealed the new lettering at the front of the bus, spelling out her full name.
“It’s very emotional,” Goodman said. “Everything you do is bittersweet – but this is a lot more sweet than bitter. It’s wonderful seeing her name on the bus.
“It’s important to us to keep her legacy alive, especially in the place she lived and where she went to school.”
Olivia was known for her love of dance and music, even auditioning for Britain’s Got Talent. She was aged just 15 when she tragically lost her life during the terror attack at an Ariana Grande concert on May 22, 2017, alongside schoolfriend Adam Lawler.
Since her death, her family have worked closely with her former school and formed ‘Liv’s Trust’, which supports young people into music performance and dance. The bus was designed with the help and support of the trust and Olivia’s family.
“Selfishly, I wanted the bus to go past my house,” Goodman joked tearfully. “But then the kids asked ‘please can it come past the school’, and we just thought that was right.
“I think Olivia would absolutely love it. Although she loved to sing and loved to dance, she also wanted to teach. Before she took her dance exams her hair used to have to be so, her makeup, her clothes, before she could go out and perform. Well, this bus just does it, just goes out and performs! It’s a real tribute.”
The interior of the bus is decorated with a pattern of Greater Manchester bees, to represent the other victims of the bombing.
Mayor Andy Burnham said: “Olivia will forever be on the school run out and about in this community and when people see her go past it will mean something.
“The bee became everyone’s symbol [after the attack] because of the strength of this place, the way people supported each other, it brings back all of those emotions. We will never, ever forget.”
Olivia’s former primary school teacher, Stephen Groutage, remembered the teen as a ‘lovely kid, who loved getting stuck in’.
“She was the life and soul of her class,” he said. “Always getting involved in everything from performances to the football team. It had a massive impact on both her primary and high school when we heard the news.”
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