GettyWest Ham co-chairman David Sullivan has revealed plans to pay six-months rent for a homeless man who helped rescue victims of the Manchester Arena bombing.
Stephen Jones, a 35-year-old homeless man sleeping rough on the streets of Manchester, revealed to ITV how he pulled nails out of a little girl’s face following the attack which killed 22 people as they left an Ariana Grande concert.
'We had to pull nails out of children's faces': Steve, a homeless man who was sleeping near #Manchester Arena, rushed to help young victims pic.twitter.com/dyxzZpal0Q
— ITV News (@itvnews) May 23, 2017
Jones said:
It’s just instinct to go and help if someone needs your help and it was children. It was a lot of children with blood all over them – crying and screaming. We were having to pull nails out of their arms and a couple out of this little girl’s face.
When Sullivan, and his son David Sullivan Jr, heard of Stephen’s heroic actions they decided to reward him for his bravery, tracking him down and offering to help him get back on his feet.
GettyThere was just one problem, they couldn’t find him.
Thankfully though, through the power of social media the Sullivans were able to track down Stephen and David Jr tweeted: ‘WE HAVE FOUND STEVE !’ before adding: ‘Thank you to all’.
WE HAVE FOUND STEVE ! Shows the power for good social media has. Thank you to all those involved, you have helped change a mans life ❤️
— DAVE SULLIVAN JNR (@DaveSulley) May 23, 2017
Stephen isn’t the only homeless person to help in the aftermath of the bombing. Chris Parker, 33, who was in the foyer area of the Arena when the bomb went off, looked after a woman in her 60s who was hurt from the bombing with serious leg and head injuries.
Mr Parker said:
She passed away in my arms. She was in her 60s and said she had been with her family. I haven’t stopped crying. The most shocking part of it is that it was a kids’ concert.
There were nuts and bolts all over the floor. People had holes in their back. It’s the screams I can’t get over and the smell … I don’t like to say it but it smelled like burning flesh.
I don’t think anything has sunk in yet. It’s just shock.
More of a concept than a journalist, Tom Percival was forged in the bowels of Salford University from which he emerged grasping a Masters in journalism.
Since then his rise has been described by himself as ‘meteoric’ rising to the esteemed rank of Social Editor at UNILAD as well as working at the BBC, Manchester Evening News, and ITV.
He credits his success to three core techniques, name repetition, personality mirroring, and never breaking off a handshake.