Memorial event held to remember Nottingham attack victims

University marks two minutes silence a year on from the devastating attacks

A memorial event to the victims of the Nottingham attacks, held at Nottingham University's Park Campus
Author: Olivia MounsorPublished 13th Jun 2024
Last updated 13th Jun 2024

Exactly one year on, a two minutes silence has been held for the three victims of the Nottingham attacks.

School caretaker Ian Coates, and University students Grace O'Malley-Kumar and Barnaby Webber lost their lives in a violent knife attack in the early hours of 13th June 2023.

A memorial event has been held at Nottingham University's Park Campus, with speeches from Vice Chancellor Professor Shearer West and the university Chaplain, Grant Walton.

Hundreds attended the event despite it being out of term-time.

Flowers were also placed in Ilkeston Road, where Barnaby and Grace were attacked, by fellow students and relatives on Thursday morning.

Grace's father, Dr Sanjoy Kumar, told the memorial service she had chosen "friendship over fear" and "fought valiantly" to protect her friend.

A chance to remember the victims

Grace and Barney were students at the University of Nottingham, having just completed their first year of studying when they were killed.

In the days and weeks that followed that attacks, vigils were held both in Old Market Square and at the University in memory of the victims, with thousands of people attending.

Communities will continue to come together over the next few days, to remember those who lost their lives.

Some of the victims' families attending the memorial event at Nottingham University

Pupils at Nottingham's Huntingdon Academy, where Nottingham Forest fan Mr Coates worked, were also invited to wear red to remember him today.

In a joint statement issued before the service, relatives of all three victims said they would take time on Thursday to remember "the souls of the three vibrant, caring, hard-working and much loved family members who are no longer here".

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