Ariana Grande can soon officially call Manchester her other home. Officials of the city's council have agreed that the "Dangerous Woman" singer should become Manchester's Honorary Citizen.
The Council wants to recognize the American pop star as a Manchester citizen for her efforts in staging the benefit concert One Love Manchester last June 4. The money the event raised from donations all over the world reached $13 million (£10 million). This will go to the victims of the Manchester bombing and their families.
Staging One Love Manchester
Ariana Grande was in the midst of her "Dangerous Woman" Tour when a suicide bomber terrorized concert-goers at the Manchester Arena on May 22.
Following the incident, the pop star expressed being heartbroken, especially since she saw and aided some of the injured fans to safety.
Some 22 people died from the attack and many of them were the singer’s young followers. Some 116 were brought and treated at various hospitals.
Ariana Grande took the next flight back to Florida for safety reasons following the attack. But while back home, she started planning for the One Love Manchester benefit concert. She was able to round up plenty of her celebrity friends for help, such as Robbie Williams, Miley Cyrus, Little Mix, The Black Eyed Peas, Katy Perry, Coldplay, Justin Bieber and Pharrell Williams.
An official Mancunian
Sir Richard Leese, the council leader, said many locals already consider Ariana Grande as one of their own after her kind gesture.
An online petition set up last week actually cited that Manchester should bestow a recognition for the singer. Becoming an honorary citizen is the second-highest honor given to an outsider, next to the freedom of the city honor.
The council thought it would be fitting to make her an official Mancunian. "We recognize those who make noteworthy contributions to the life and success of our city," Leese said, as per BBC.
Meanwhile, the Manchester city council will stage another event at a later date where they plan to recognize the heroes who have demonstrated kindness and imbibed the spirit of the community following a devastating event. Leese said help came from thousands of people -- from the emergency team to the hospital staff to bystanders and strangers.
“The city will want to find a suitable way of recognizing them all in due course,” he said. Locals can submit proposals by July 12 at the council’s office.
