MEMORIAL events are set to be held across the region to remember the 22 victims who lost their lives in the Manchester Arena attack five years ago today.

Hundreds of people were injured alongside those who died, which included six children under 16, the youngest aged just eight, in the blast.

Survivors of the Manchester Arena terror attack and Mayor Andy Burnham are among those marking the fifth anniversary of the tragedy by running a 10km race through Manchester.

The Great Manchester Run will see more than 20,000 racers applauding the 22 victims ahead of the starting pistol, while church bells will toll at 10.31pm – the time a bomb was detonated at the Ariana Grande concert on May 22 2017.

The day will be the first time in three years that people in Manchester can mark the anniversary free of coronavirus restrictions.

Remembrance services will also take place at the Glade of Light Memorial in the city centre, while bells at the nearby Manchester Cathedral will toll at 10.31pm, marking the time of the attack.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge officially opened the permanent memorial earlier this month.