Today our thoughts are with the families and friends of those who died and those whose lives will be forever affected by the horrific events of that night. We want you to know that you are not alone, we stand with you. 
Manchester did the exact opposite of everything the attacker wanted. He wanted terror, we responded with bravery as our public services raced to the scene and started their work. He wanted hatred, we responded with kindness: offering help, getting people home, looking after the injured and supporting the bereaved. This is a city which knows that we don’t condemn an entire community for the actions of one person. We stood together, we sang together. If you’ve sometimes wondered if those things were too soft as a response to terror attacks, you only need to look at how Manchester responded.
We have seen the best of humanity in the response to that horrific night. Some of these have been very visible to the world such as Arianna Grande’s amazing courage in leading the One Love concert. Or the comfort people showed each other as St Ann’s Square was covered in flowers and became the space which brought people together. There was the astonishing response to the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund. We saw the incredible efforts of our public services not only on the night but in the months which followed, ensuring people were cared for wherever they were, that there were places to talk, that the communities of Manchester came together and did not allow this act to drive us apart.
We will sing again tonight.
Our message remains the same: be kind. Be kind to everyone around you. Be defiantly kind.
With love from all of us. X
#McrTogether
#WeStandTogether
This is how people can take part in the commemorative programme:
Remembering Together: National Service of Commemoration, Manchester Cathedral, Tuesday 22 May, 2-3pm
The service will be attended by families who lost loved ones, people who were badly injured in the attack, first responders, civic leaders and national figures.
While space limitations mean the service to reflect and remember has to be invitation only, the service will be screened live in nearby Cathedral Gardens.
National one-minute silence, Tuesday 22 May, 2.30pm
A national one-minute silence is being held. This will be incorporated into the cathedral service and people are being encouraged to think about how to observe it, wherever they are.
Manchester Together – With One Voice, Albert Square, Tuesday 22 May, 7-9pm
Thousands of voices will be raised in harmony as an array of local choirs come together, culminating in a mass communal singalong from 8.30-9pm. The event starts at 7pm but people are advised to come earlier to ensure they can get in.
If you can’t make it, it’s being broadcast on BBC Radio Manchester, Key 103 and elsewhere so you can join in at home.
Trees of Hope trail, Saturday 19 May to Sunday 27 May
The trail of 28 beautiful trees, along a route from Victoria Station to St Ann’s Square, is intended as the focus for people who want to share messages of tribute, solidarity and love. Messages can be left using specially-designed cardboard tags and at the end of the trail they will be kept – alongside tributes left last year – in an archive of the city’s response to the attack. Volunteers will oversee the trees every day, from 8am to 8pm – 8am to 11pm on 22 May itself.
Any other floral and plant tributes which are left in public places will be carefully collected at the end of each day and taken to Wythenshawe Park, where they will remain on display until they are ultimately recycled.
There Is A Light, Tuesday 22 May to Saturday 26 May
Poignant lines from songs chosen by the public will be projected onto St Ann’s Church and other parts of St Ann’s Square from dusk until daylight.
10.31pm, Tuesday 22 May
Bells will ring out from in the city centre at 10.31pm from the Town Hall, St Ann's Church and St Mary's RC Church (the Hidden Gem) to mark exactly a year since the moment when the attack took place.
For further information, visit: www.manchester.gov.uk/news/article/7967/22_may_anniversary_how_people_can_take_part_in_commemorative_events