Moving tributes laid in Bolton town centre to remember the victims of the Manchester Arena attack are to be permanently preserved as a mark of respect.
On Friday 16 June, staff from Bolton council will begin to sensitively remove all the tributes laid on the steps of the Town Hall.
All teddies, T-shirts, messages of condolence and other tributes which can be kept will be collected and collated by the Libraries and Museums Service, as will healthy plants and flowers.
Any floral tributes which have wilted will be collected for composting.
The tributes collated by the Libraries and Museums team will form the basis of a new exhibition in Central Library, which will open in early July.
The books of condolence around Bolton borough will remain open for comments until the end of June and then be collected in and will form part of the same exhibition.
The tributes and books of condolence will then become part of the museum’s permanent collection.
Leader of Bolton Council, Cllr Cliff Morris, said: “There was an outpouring of grief from our residents after what happened in Manchester and it was only right that people were able to pay their respects.
“There has now come a point where we need to respectfully relocate the tributes. We will be displaying the tributes as part of an exhibition at the library and will then preserve them as a permanent part of the museum’s collection.
“Our thoughts are very much still with everyone who has been affected, especially those who have lost loved ones.”