The teenage couple, Chloe, 17, and Liam, 19, met through Liam’s local cricket club, came together in October 2014 and fell in love, heard the inquiry. Talented cricketer Liam aspired to join the police, while Chloe studied music at college and was an up-and-coming singer-songwriter.
Duncan Atkinson QC, the Manchester Evening News reports, read out a tribute from their families, who said the couple were made for each other. Both would raise money for charity, while one of Chloe’s other great passions was travel.
She was working at Westoe Travel in South Shields as an apprentice when she was killed in the blast shortly after Ariana Grande’s concert at the arena on 22 May 2017.
The inquest heard how Chloe’s parents bought the couple tickets for the show for Christmas, and how they sent pictures to their parents from the concert.
Counsel to the inquest, Sophie Cartwright QC, revealed how CCTV footage following the blast showed Chloe and Liam lying side-by-side. They did not respond when assessed by TravelSafe officer Philip Clegg.
Cartwright said the injuries the couple sustained would have rendered them immediately unconscious, and were described as "unsurvivable". A cause of death was given as multiple injuries.
Chair of the inquiry, Sir John Saunders, thanked Chloe and Liam’s families for telling the couple’s "wonderful and inspiring story". "Chloe and Liam’s relationship was very special," he said. "After a short period of time together, their greatest wish was that they would never be separated. They weren’t."
Their story lent the name to the foundation set up in their memory, the Chloe and Liam Together Forever Trust. The trust raises money to help youngsters in the north-east of England achieve their potential.
To date, the trust has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for the cause. You can find out more at togetherforevertrust.com.
