Five years ago, two South Shields families which had been united by young love were torn apart by an attack of unfathomable evil.
Teenage sweethearts Chloe Rutherford, 17, and Liam Curry, 19, were among the 22 people killed in the Manchester bombing atrocity on May 22, 2017. The couple, who'd dreamed of getting married one day, were 'inseparable' in life - and now their names are forever joined in a charity which helps local young people follow their dreams.
Determined to honour their beloved children, parents Caroline Curry and Mark and Lisa Rutherford set up the Chloe and Liam Together Forever Trust in the aftermath of the tragedy. In the years since, they've created a lasting legacy for the couple through the trust, which gives grants to local teens to allow them to follow their sporting or artistic passions.
Speaking ahead of the fifth anniversary of the attack that claimed his daughter's life, Mark, 51, said: "Applications-wise, we've fulfilled over 250 applications, but there are a lot of teams and clubs involved so that rolls it out to a lot more children and youngsters that have been helped. For one of our local boxing clubs we bought them an actual full-sized boxing ring, and they get anywhere between 80-100 kids through the door using that every week.
"We've always said it's fantastic to be able to help so many people, setting up a lasting legacy for Chloe and Liam. It's obviously bittersweet, for us, with the reason why we are doing this, but knowing Chloe, she would be proud of what we are doing, as would Liam.
"There are an awful lot of talented kids in this region, hopefully just by giving them that support we can help them get to that next step."
Music and performance student Chloe, who had danced as a youngster, enjoyed sining and musical theatre and had begun to discover her love of writing music when her life was cruely snatched away, 'loved everything' related to music and performance, her dad said, so funding musical instruments, training fees and equipment for musicians, dancers and other young artists is an ideal way to honour her.
Meanwhile, the legacy of keen cricketer and sports student Liam has helped support the sporting dreams of the likes of Sunderland wheelchair fencer Josh Waddell, who with the trust's help became the world's number one under-17 wheelchair epee fencer and even supported team GB at the most recent Paralympics.
The three bereaved parents work hard to run the trust with the support of a board of trustees, but they've also recieved a huge amount of support from Chloe and Liam's friends, other family, and the entire town of South Shields, which has kept the memory of the teenagers in the forefront of its mind over the last five years.
Mark said: "It is a distraction for us, that's part of why we put so much in to making sure that the trust survives. That all comes down to people's donations and generosity, that allows us to keep going and doing what we do.
"For us, if we can keep their names going, keep their memories going, and all in a positive way that helps young people, that's what we want to do. Hopefully, it will mean that some young people manage to follow their dreams."
Fundraising events, from golf days to an annual ball, keep cash flowing in, while fundraising often reaches a peak in May, as individuals and businesses throughout the town raise money ahead of the heartbreaking anniversary.
Thanks to Chloe's uncle, Glenn Rowe, May 22 has become 'pink and blue day' for South Shields, when locals cover their homes and businesses in the colours of the trust in a bid to honour Chloe and Liam and stand against terrorism. This year's pink and blue day had already raised over £10,000 in the week before the anniversary, with more donations expected to flood in.
You can leave your tributes to Chloe and Liam and messages of support to their family in the comments below
Mark said: "The anniversary is a strange day, obviously it's very emotional, but it's been just unbelievable over the last few years to see how people support pink and blue day. It's one of those things where we try to put a more positive meaning on the day, obviously for us it will never change, it will always be the anniversary, but for the community it seems to really work.
"The support of the community has been totally overwhelming, to be honest. It's been like that from day one, even before we had come back from Manchester we heard stories of people raising money, saying they wanted to do something to help. That's how the trust started - we came back to bucketfulls of money and said 'what are we going to do with this?'.
"South Shields is only a small town really and the support has just continued and it's been amazing. Just seeing how much of an outpouring of support there has been from the community is unbelievable, it's really hard to put into words how I feel about it."
People can donate to the Chloe and Liam Together Forever Trust or find out how to apply for the trust's help at: https://www.facebook.com/ChloeAndLiamTogetherForever
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