A MAN who survived the Manchester terror attack is holding a community event in the North-East to provide ongoing support to those affected.

Twenty-two people died when a suicide bomber detonated explosives at the end of the Ariana Grande concert in May last year.

Shaun Malpass, 23, from Consett, who was seated near the foyer when the bomb went off, said the decision to wait for crowds to clear for five minutes after the show saved his life.

He said: “We were about to leave, but waited, and had we left five minutes earlier we would have been in the foyer at the time.

“We were really lucky in that sense. Our seats were right next to the foyer where the bomb was detonated.

“When it went off, everything was shaking and a girl fell over the balcony in front of us.

“Everyone was running and it was everyman himself.

“I can still remember the smell. As we were running out we were standing on nails and bolts from the bombs.

“It is something you do not think you will ever have to experience.

“I got out physically unharmed, but there were a lot of people who were hurt and who lost their lives. It was so close.”

Mr Malpass is organising a community funday at Ivesley Equestrian Centre, near Waterhouses, on Sunday, May 20, from 10am to 4pm, and is planning for live music, a ceilidh band, bouncy castle among other attractions, including a mile long three-legged cross country challenge.

Money raised will go towards the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund, run by The British Red Cross Society.

Mr Malpass, who works as an events co-ordinator, said: “What happened is still a massive thing for me.

"It is something that will never leave me.

“It will stick in my mind forever. I have had a really good counsellor, and I still see them quite regularly, but there is no way of making sense of it.

"It is something I still cannot believe.

“This whole event is to help people who have been affected.

“The charity supports people who need help and gives counselling so it’s close to my heart.

“The event is a fun way to raise money, but it is for a serious issue.”

To donate to the event log on to website www.justgiving.com/fundraising/shaun-malpass1