Smile as big as the sky...

Reporter: Iram Ramzan
Date published: 15 June 2017


AN Oldham girl is getting on with life after the trauma of being injured in the terrorist attack in Manchester ­- and now her smile is bigger than ever.

Gymnast and netball player Acacia Seward got just the tonic she needed when Olympic medallist Beth Tweddle made a surprise visit to see the 11-year-old, armed with bags of goodies.

Acacia, a Hulme Grammar pupil from Bardsley, was leading a warm up session when Beth dropped in at Eclipse Gymnastic Club in Earl Mill - where Acacia has been a member since she was six.

The gifts Beth brought along included a Team GB shirt and a special leotard, bought by the coaching team, created by Milano following the Manchester bombing. All proceeds have been donated to The Red Cross in aid of the victims.

The other surprise of the evening was the other young gymnasts taking off their t-shirts to reveal their charity leotards in solidarity.

More than anything, Acacia was ecstatic with the Ariana Grande T-shirt. The one she wore to the concert last month was taken by the police as evidence, as was her phone, which upset her.

Acacia said: "I was shocked, I didn't expect this. My cheeks are hurting from smiling. The gifts are really cool. I've got a Team GB shirt ­- not everybody gets them!"

Acacia went to the concert on that fateful Monday evening with her mum Shula Coward and best friend Riley Carson from Bury. The two girls were dancing and singing along all night until it was time to go home.

"When I walked through the doors I saw a yellow flash," Acacia recalled. "Then I heard a bang. I fell on to the floor. The next thing I remember is going in the area where the drinks were, with mum saying 'run'.

"Everybody started running. I looked at my leg and it started bleeding. I was limping. I needed my mum because I couldn't run. My friend was fine, she was uninjured, but she was scared. I'm not scared.

"We went on a bus because there weren't enough ambulances. We didn't know where we were going. Then we found out we were going to Oldham ­- we were so lucky.

"I wasn't scared. The only thing I didn't like was when they stitched up the artery. It was bleeding a lot and it really hurt.

"I couldn't use my left leg at first. But I had a dream that I could use my left leg and when I woke up, I could! I wanted to do netball the day after I came out of hospital. I'm not allowed to do team sports yet.

"I watched Ariana's second concert on TV. It was really good.

Acacia has undergone two operations to remove shrapnel from her legs. The shrapnel that hit her left leg pierced an artery and lodged just above her knee. She needed both internal and external stitches to both legs.

She is now walking with her crutches but is making fantastic progress so much so that she hopes to walk unaided at her end-of-year school prom, tomorrow.

Though she is not yet able to fully participate in the gym class, she has still been going and leading the warm up and helping to organise the music.

She continues to attend her singing and dancing classes at Infinity Dance Studio in Oldham, and sessions at Tameside Netball Club ­- remaining defiant.

Beth Tweddle was the first female gymnast from Great Britain to win a medal at the European Championships, World Championships, and Olympic Games.

Having suffered from serious injuries in the past, she was able to give Acacia some of advice on how to get through it all.

She said: "As soon as I heard about Acacia I knew I had to see her. I wanted to put a smile on her face and we have done that. The whole of the UK is aware of the situation. Putting a smile on a family's face after the hard couple of weeks, anyone and everyone would do it.

"You can see how much the club has got behind her. As soon as she got her leotard it felt a bit like a flash mob. Her team mates got behind her. It's their way of saying, we're here to support her through it."

Kimberly Woodward, senior squad coach at Eclipse Gymnastics Club, put a message on Facebook asking people to help her get in touch with the retired artistic gymnast to cheer up Acacia and keep her motivated.

She said: "On the Tuesday night when Acacia first had the operation we spoke to the children. We had to be very careful. We said Acacia was involved in the bombing in Manchester but she was okay.

"They were really, really sad. The older ones were making sure the little ones were okay. Parents have been really supportive of Shula and checking on her.

"Acacia is a really happy and bubbly. She is such a resilient young lady. She's fun and happy, really helps the children. She is wise beyond her years and she's only 11."