A charity in Manchester is singing Ariana Grande’s praises after she made a hefty donation to children who are in hospital in the run-up to Christmas.
On Monday morning, the Manchester Foundation Trust Charity shared snaps of hospitalised children receiving Christmas presents donated by the Grammy winner.
“Thank you Ariana Grande!” the charity’s post on X said.
“We are so grateful to Ariana for thinking of our young patients this Christmas. The gifts she has donated are being distributed to babies, children and teenagers across [Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital], [Trafford Hospitals], [Wythenshawe Hospital] and [North Manchester General Hospital].”
Ariana’s connection with the city of Manchester runs deep.
Seven years ago, a terror attack took place during Ariana’s show at Manchester Arena, killing 22 people and leaving more than a thousand with injuries.
In the wake of the bombing, Ariana put together the One Love Manchester benefit concert, which helped raise millions of pounds for the We Love Manchester emergency fund, after which the No Tears Left To Cry singer was made an honorary citizen of Manchester.
The future Wicked star closed the benefit concert with a cover of Over The Rainbow from The Wizard Of Oz, which was subsequently released as a single, with proceeds also going to the We Love Manchester fund.
A year later, she told British Vogue she was experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of the attack.
“Yeah, it’s a real thing,” she said. “I know those families and my fans, and everyone there experienced a tremendous amount of it as well.
“It’s hard to talk about because so many people have suffered such severe, tremendous loss … I feel like I shouldn’t even be talking about my own experience – like I shouldn’t even say anything. I don’t think I’ll ever know how to talk about it and not cry.”
Ariana has continued to hold Manchester close to her heart, and in 2022, it was reported that she had given around 1,000 Christmas presents to the young patients at children’s hospitals around the city.
The Manchester Evening News reported that this had become a yearly tradition for Ariana, who also made generous donations in 2021 and 2020.