TEARS will be shed today for not just those who lost their lives on May 22 last year but for those whose lives were changed out of all recognition.

In the afternoon, both Prime Minister Theresa May and Prince William will be among other key figures attending Manchester Cathedral at a national service of remembrance and to pay their respects.

It will also be attended by an invited congregation including the families of those who lost their lives, the injured, emergency services and civic leaders. The service will include a one-minute silence at 2.30pm

Due to limited space anyone who wants to watch the service can do so on a big screen in nearby Cathedral Gardens.

For people across northern Britain who were also affected by events, the service will also be screened at York Minster, Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral and Glasgow Cathedral.

The commemorations continue this evening in Manchester Albert Square in a mass choir singalong called Manchester Together – With One Voice, between 7pm and 9pm.

Thousands of voices will be raised in harmony as an array of local choirs come together, culminating in a mass communal singalong from 8.30 to 9pm. The event starts at 7pm but people are advised to come earlier to ensure they can get in. The event will be broadcast by BBC Radio Manchester and Key103.

The songs for the finale have been confirmed as Ariana Grande’s One Last Time, One Day Like This by Elbow, Don’t Look Back in Anger by Oasis and Never Forget by Take That.

Among the participating choirs are Manchester Survivors Choir, a group made up people who were at the Arena on the night of the attack, mostly parents and children, and met through a social media network set up for those affected; Parrs Wood High School’s Harmony Group, whose post-attack tribute went viral last year and Bee Vocal, the Manchester mental health choir composed of people who have experienced mental health issues and have come together to share the healing power of music.

Cath Hill, the co-founder Manchester Survivors Choir, said: “It was a love of music that brought us together in the first place last May and after a few months of talking online we decided to use this love of music in a positive way to help ourselves by starting a choir.

“Meeting up in person and getting support from each other whilst doing something we love has been helpful for all of us.

“Our members were all at the Arena concert and performing together on the anniversary of that is not going to be easy but will be a huge step forward for us.

“We want to show the world that after months of talking and trying to come to terms with what happened, we are here now, and are determined to get on and do something positive with our lives.”

A number of one-off choirs have also been specially created for the event including A City United choir, combining Manchester City FC’s Community Choir and Manchester United Foundation Youth Choir; a choir bringing together several Greater Manchester workplace choirs and an emergency services choir combining the North West Ambulance Service, Greater Manchester Police male voice , Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service and Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service choirs. A youth choir will bring together children and young people from schools and organisations across Greater Manchester.

There will also be a performance from Manchester Lesbian and Gay Chorus and AMC gospel choir, with many other choirs contributing to the massed One Voice choir which will lead communal singing.

Manchester Together – With One Voice starts from 7pm with video messages before a short civic introduction before the choral performance gets underway at 7.30pm, with the mass singalong finale between 8.30pm and 9.30pm.

Tonight at 10.31pm precisely bells will ring out from in the city centre from the Town Hall, St Ann’s Church and St Mary’s RC Church (the Hidden Gem) to mark exactly a year since the moment when the Manchester Arena attack took place.

A 28 ‘trees of hope’ trail along from Victoria Station to St Ann’s Square, until next Sunday, is intended as the focus for people who want to share messages of tribute, solidarity and love. Messages can be left using specially-designed cardboard tags.

Any other floral and plant tributes, which are left in public places will be carefully collected at the end of each day and taken to Wythenshawe Park, where they will remain on display until they are ultimately recycled.

And from today until Saturday, poignant lyrics from songs – There is a Light — will be projected onto the outside of St Ann’s Church and other buildings in St Ann’s Square, from dusk.

Cllr Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council, said: “: “None of us will ever forget the shocking events of May 22 2017. The first anniversary of the attack is bound to be an emotional time and it has a different personal meaning for everyone affected by it. That is something which is reflected in the range of commemorative events.

“We will never forget the 22 people, including children, who lost their lives and many others who were badly hurt or traumatised. They remain in the forefront of our thoughts and at the heart of the anniversary programme. But we also remember the way that in the aftermath of the attack Manchester, Greater Manchester and beyond came together in a spirit of solidarity and refusal to give in to hatred – a source of inspiration and comfort for many people. We invite people to once again join together in this spirit as we mark one year on.”