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New Coronation Street set features memorial for Manchester bombing victims

Coronation Street stars have told of their delight at the new set, which includes a poignant tribute to one special fan in particular.

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New Coronation Street set pays tribute to Manchester bombing victims (Andrew Boyce/ITV)

The 22 victims of the Manchester Arena bombing have been remembered with a permanent memorial on the new Coronation Street set.

The ITV soap’s new-look set features a mosaic-covered memorial bench taking pride of place in an urban garden in memory of those who died, with a special mention for Corrie superfan Martyn Hett.

His family were among the first people to see the new set last week before it was officially unveiled on Monday in the presence of Corrie stars.

The plaque on the bench reads: “For Martyn and all those who lost their lives on the 22nd of May 2017. We stand together.”

New Coronation Street set
The new Coronation Street set includes a memorial for Martyn Hett and the other victims of the Manchester Arena bombing (Andrew Boyce/ITV)

“And just for Manchester in general.”

Sarah Platt actress Tina O’Brien said it is the first time the programme has made “an actual conscious effort to go, ‘this happened in Manchester'”.

“We are showing that we support the people that were involved in this, so I think it’s lovely,” she added.

“I was saying it would be really nice if the survivors could be allowed to come and have a look around, visit and see it as well.”

Sue Nicholls, who plays Audrey Roberts, said she thinks it is a “lovely” area and that she is glad to see it has been incorporated into the new set.

New Coronation Street set
The new Victoria Street set, which will appear in Coronation Street (Andrew Boyce/ITV)

As well as the urban garden, the set features a new retail area complete with shops, restaurants, a tattoo parlour, a Weatherfield North tram stop and a police station.

The set also includes a Costa Coffee shop and a Co-op supermarket in honour of product placement deals with the broadcaster, marking the first time real retail outlets will be represented on the soap.

The entire area is made from cobbles reclaimed from the old Quay Street site which was home to Corrie residents from 1982 to 2013, and has been aged to make it look as though it has been there for as long as Coronation Street and Rosamund Street.

New Coronation Street set
The new Victoria Street set which will appear in Coronation Street (Andrew Boyce/ITV)

“Our amazingly talented design team have created everything from scratch – but it still manages to have the feeling of always having been there, just around the corner.”

The new Wider Weatherfield will be seen on screen for the first time on April 20.

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