INQUESTS into the deaths of Olivia Campbell-Hardy from Bury and John Atkinson from Radcliffe are due to open on Friday.

They will be among 22 people who were killed in the Manchester Arena on May 22.

The hearings are set to take place from 10.30am at the Civil Justice Centre in Manchester.

An inquest opening into the death of the suicide bomber, Salman Ramadan Abedi, will be held at a later date.

It is expected that the inquests into the victims will be adjourned pending the completion of the police investigation.

Olivia’s step-dad, Paul Hodgson, told the Bury Times that he and Olivia’s mother, Charlotte Campbell, aged 36, will not be attending the opening.

Mr Hodgson of Redvales Road, said: “We are spending our time more wisely.”

The family of the 15-year-old Tottington High School pupil are making plans for her funeral but have not been able to set a date for it until her body is released by the coroner.

Mr Hodgson said: “It’s going to be church, crematorium and back to Bury Football Club because Olivia used to play there.”

He added: “We want her back, but we would rather the police do it right.”

The family are hoping to use Olivia’s favourite colour, blue, in her funeral and earlier said they planned to have blue coffin with her father, Andy Hardy, getting a drape made to cover it.

The news of Olivia’s inquest opening comes as her friend Adam Lawler, aged 15, continues to recover in hospital. He and Olivia had gone to the Ariana Grande concert together.

Adam’s message of love became one of the defining points of the One Love Manchester concert, held at the weekend.

Ariana’s manager Scooter Braun took to the stage to pass a message on from the teenager.

He said: “Adam lost his friend Olivia and when we went to visit him he asked me to pass on one message, and he said ‘hey Scooter, don’t go forward in anger, love spreads’.

“Adam, if you’re watching you’re our hero tonight.”

In recognition of Ariana’s efforts to pull together the star-studded concert, which raised more than £2 million for the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund, an online petition is calling for the singer to be made an honourary MBE.

Mr Hodgson has lent his support to the petition.