A community will dress up in pink and blue to remember childhood sweethearts who were killed in the Manchester Arena attack.

Tributes will be paid to Chloe Rutherford, 17, and Liam Curry, 19, in their home town of South Shields, South Tyneside, on the anniversary of the terror attack.

Their families will gather with local people at the front of the town hall for a minute’s silence at 10.31am before laying flowers on a memorial bench dedicated to the loving couple.

Chloe was a gifted singer, while her boyfriend was a talented cricketer, and a trust in their memory has been set up to raise funds for young people to help them in the arts or sport.

The motif of the Chloe and Liam Together Forever Trust is pink and blue, and businesses in the town will be dressed up in the colours in a tribute to the loving teenagers best.

The Edwardian town hall will be lit up in pink and blue as well.

On the trust’s Facebook page, the families explained why they would not be travelling to Manchester for the city’s memorial service.

They said: “We have decided as families that we want to spend the day here in the place we feel safe and
loved and where you have all taken our beautiful, perfect Chloe & Liam to your hearts.”

South Tyneside’s Mayor Councillor Ken Stephenson said: “The loss of these two young lives and their story of love really touched the hearts of so many people across South Tyneside.

“It is clear that our communities are still feeling this loss as much now as they did one year ago.

“Chloe and Liam remain in our thoughts and it is only right that we mark the first anniversary of their death with a special tribute at their memorial bench at the front of South Shields Town Hall.

“It is sure to be an extremely poignant event where we take the opportunity to stand together to show unity and solidarity once again while celebrating the lives of this wonderful young couple and everything they represent.”

The Mayor has picked the trust as one of his good causes.

He said: “It is a lasting legacy to Chloe and Liam and is a wonderful way of making sure their memories live on in helping others in their local community to follow their dreams.”