IT HAS been a year of ‘mixed emotions’ for the mother a girl killed in the arena attack.

Charlotte Hodgson, the mother of Olivia Campbell-Hardy, said her year had been filled with tears but also happiness.

Her daughter was just 15 when she was killed by the terror attack on the Manchester Arena.

Olivia was one of two people from Bury killed in the attack, John Atkinson, aged 28, from Radcliffe also lost his life.

Mrs Hodgson, from Redvales, Bury, said: “It’s been hard, very hard. It’s been a year of mixed emotions, we’ve had tears and happiness.”

Through the year Mrs Hodgson said there had been some ‘highs’ which had come through the dark times.

On November 25, the then Ms Campbell, married long-term partner, Paul Hodgson at Bury Register Office, fulfilling a wish of Olivia’s to see the pair married.

On November 28, Olivia would have turned 16.

Mrs Hodgson said: “One of the highs was obviously getting married in memory of Olivia. We did a big charity event in Lanzarote raising money for the Lee Rigby Trust and let balloons off their on her birthday.”

The family is also now waiting for the birth of a new baby. Olivia’s older sister, Catriona is expecting and her due date is reportedly the anniversary of the attack.

This year has also seen Mr Hodgson’s grandson, Thomas, turn one.

Mrs Hodgson said: “Olivia would be happy Catriona was having a baby and would be watching Thomas grow up, it’s hard that she’s not here for these things.

“She was a family person, that’s how she would have wanted it.

“I think of Thomas as my own grandchild, but it’s amazing, it’s my daughter having a baby, some good is coming from all this darkness.”

Mrs Hodgson felt the attack had changed Manchester.

She said: “I think Manchester has become a stronger city and I think people are a lot more aware of their surroundings and what’s going on.

“We did a St George’s Day ride in Manchester on our scooters, that was amazing to do, to see everyone together and not being scared again.”

Olivia’s father, Andrew Hardy and his step-dad, Steve Goodman, Olivia’s Papa, are trustees of a charity set up in her memory, a living memorial for the girl who loved to sing and dance.

Liv’s Trust CIO was launched on November 24 at Bury Town Hall in the Elizabethan Suite with what Mr Goodman had called ‘Olivia’s last birthday party’.

Since then the charity, set up to support under 25s who want to pursue music and dance, has grown from strength to strength.

The first big milestone came in December when Mr Goodman made the charity’s first donation, presenting the Encore Youth Choir with £500.

Mr Goodman said: “It’s gone so fast it’s not seemed real at all there’s been so many things to do and new things to learn.

“It’s been a learning curve for us creating the charity and a nightmare not having Olivia by our sides. There’s been endless times we’ve wished she’d been here to see something. She’s always in our thoughts and always with us. It’s just difficult.

“It’s amazed us with how the charity has taken off. We’ve supported the choir, and the Greater Manchester Pipe Band who applied for £600 for a new set of pipes.

“There’s a young lad on the autistic spectrum and he’s having someone sit in class with him while he learns guitar and a young Irish dancer.

“There was a girl featured on BBC North West tonight and she could only go dancing when her parents top ups came through, we got in touch with the BBC and got in touch with the family and we’re sponsoring her to do ballet and tap lessons.

“Olivia would be please as punch we could do this for her.”

Olivia died on May 22 2017, after attending the Ariana Grande concert with fellow Tottington High School pupil, Adam Lawler, who was seriously injured in the attack.

Her funeral took place on June 20 at St Anne’s Church, Tottington. It was attended by hundreds of people, many lining the streets nearby to pay their respects to the young girl.