Gallery: Manchester Arena families at Disneyland Paris
Families caught up in the Manchester Arena attack were jetted off to Disneyland Paris with comedian John Bishop.
The youngsters and their loved ones were welcomed on board an early morning British Airways charter flight from Manchester airport.
They were joined by some of the cast from Chester-based soap Hollyoaks and on arrival they were met by two more famous faces – Michelle Keegan and Mark Wright.
It is the fifth time British Airways and Disneyland Paris have teamed up to organise a special day out, but it’s the first time the flight has been operated from Manchester.
The trip was part of BA’s celebrations to mark the airline raising £17 million for Flying Start, its global charity partnership with Comic Relief since 2010.
The money raised has helped Comic Relief fund projects in the UK and around the world, including the Youth Factory Zone in Manchester who also sent 10 youngsters on the trip.
Mary Barry, British Airways’ community investment manager, said: “We wanted to give some of the families a Christmas day out, to have fun and meet some of our celebrity ambassadors. We are very grateful to Disneyland Paris for agreeing to work with us once again and to all the celebrities for giving their time to come with us.”
Annabel Altmann, senior manager of Disneyland Paris Corporate Citizenship, said: “We are proud to be partnering with British Airways for a fifth year in a row, giving over 50 people from Manchester a fantastic day trip before Christmas and helping to support Flying Start.”