Nick Johnson
BBC News

Survivors I've been speaking to at today's ceremony in central London had been hoping for a prominent national figure to make an appearance today to draw attention to their shared experiences.

Brendan Cox is the widower of the murdered Labour MP, Jo Cox and co-founder of Survivors Against Terror.

He is calling for the compensation scheme for victims to be overhauled, arguing the current process is dehumanising and demeaning.

No doubt, survivors will take some comfort from Andy Burnham's appearnace and his acknowledgement that the government could and should do more for victims and survivors of terror.

But they will want those warm words backed up by action.

Dan Biddle was one of the worst-injured survivors of the 7/7 London bombings in 2005, losing both legs, an eye and his spleen, and hearing in one ear.

“Incidents like 7/7 are almost forgotten, and we don’t have the same sort of coverage around the anniversaries,” says Biddle, from Abergavenny, in south Wales.

“When we look back at the atrocities the country suffered from the IRA in the eighties and nineties through to what we experience now, [a national day] has been a long time coming."

Biddle knows he is “incredibly lucky to still be alive", explaining how post-traumatic stress disorder after the attack led to him try to take his own life in 2013.

He now campaigns for mental health awareness.

“It’s still a topic that isn’t discussed enough, supported enough, and to be more honest and open about how we feel.”

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Image source, Reuters

The event comes to an end after testimony from a range of victims and survivors. Here's a recap of what we heard this afternoon:

• Thelma Stober, a survivor of the 7/7 London bombings, noted that the consequences of terrorism are measured "in years and decades", as opposed to the "seconds or minutes" of the attack
• Travis Frain, who sustained multiple injuries in the 2017 Westminster attack, said he and others spent "years" fighting for a national day like today. He says this dedicated event demonstrates that the country "stands firmly in solidarity" with those affected
• Paul Price sustained life-changing injuries and lost his partner Elaine in the Manchester Arena attack in 2017. The pain hasn't disappeared, he said, but he has "discovered both hope and resilience can be rebuilt brick by careful brick, even when everything has been shattered"
• Cheryl Stollery told the audience her late husband, John, would wish to be remembered for the life he lived, not the way he died. John, who was killed in 2015 by jihadists in Tunisia, had a "wicked sense of humour" and "cheeky smile", Stollery said

Burnham pledges to consult on a permanent national memorial to the victims and survivors of terrorism.

Addressing the ceremony, he says "your voices must be at the heart of every decision about how we remember and recognise those affected by terrorism".

The prime minister also says the government will look at reforming the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA), as well as access to legal assistance for victims.

Burham says how the country stands together says so much about who we are and that victims and survivors of attacks are all part of "our national story".

He concludes his speech by saying this day will forever be a day of recognition and celebration of the amazing people and families that are "the best of British and our country".

Burnham now thanks everyone who campaigned to make this day happen.

Addressing Pat Goulbourne, a London Fire Brigade commissioner at the event, he thanks emergency services for their work responding to attacks and saving lives.

He says he knows from time spent with survivors of the Manchester Arena attack that "too often people have not had the support they deserved".

Addressing Cheryl Stollery, whose husband John died in the 2015 Tunisia attack, Burnham says he remembers her speaking to him after the Manchester attack and asking: "Who's rallying around us?"

Burnham goes on to say that the government "can do better", adding that it is "important I am honest about that".

The prime minister says the state carries particular responsibility as those who committed attacks were trying to "attack us all".

"That is why we owe that duty to each and every one of you."

Prime Minister Andy Burnham takes to the stage as the ceremony's final speaker.

He tells the room it is a privilege to be here and thanks the speakers for their powerful words, saying he has a "deep admiration for all of you".

Burnham says he has got to know some of those in the room following the Manchester Arena bombings and Heaton Park synagogue terror attack.

He acknowledges that there is "no closure", that nothing is the same again and every day brings pain, grief, life-changing injuries and trauma.

The prime minister says today matters and shows survivors and victims that they are seen and heard by the whole country.

Image source, Getty Images

Travis Frain, who sustained multiple injuries in the 2017 Westminster attack, says he and others in the room have spent "years" fighting for a national day like today.

He hopes that in years to come it will be a "regular fixture" in the diary - a day to pay tribute to survivors, first responders and those no longer with us.

Frain also hopes it will help educate the public on how to play a part in preventing any future attacks.

He thanks senior officials, including the prime minister, for attending, saying it demonstrates that the country "stands firmly in solidarity" with those affected.

Read more abour Frain's story in our news article.

Image source, Getty Images

Following another brief musical interlude, the ceremony moves onto its third and final section: unity and community.

We're now hearing from Pat Goulbourne, assistant commissioner for the London Fire Brigade, who served during the Westminster Bridge attack in 2017 and several other terror attacks.

He says it is a priviledge and honour to speak on behalf of first responders and pays respect to those who lost their lives to terrorism.

Goulbourne says emergency services are adapting daily to new challenges and thanks victims and survivors for their work to make a difference to public safety.

He reflects on being invited into the home of Figen Murray, the mother of Martyn Hett, who was killed in the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017.

He recalls listening to her personal experience and driving home realising there are "so many things that we can do to change".

Stober continues her speech by highlighting the importance of support and connection during a victim or survivor's recovery.

She says this is present in the phone calls people continue to receive, the messages they might get from colleagues, and the neighbours who listen.

"These acts may seem small but they make a profound difference to us," she tells the room.

Stober then turns to talking about hope, which she says "must never be used" to minimise grief, rush healing or suggest loss can be left behind.

She says hope is found in everyday choices - including to "reject hatred", "challenge division" and "stand beside those who are hurting".

Concluding her remarks, Stober offers her sympathies to all affected by terrorism, adding: "Your pain is real, your loss matters, your voices matter."

Image source, Getty Images

We're now hearing from Thelma Stober, a survivor of the 7/7 London bombings.

She describes suffering "life-changing injuries, including the loss of a limb, my hearing and latent brain injuries".

Stober has since dedicated her life to working with and supporting survivors.

She says that today, people gather to remember "not only the events themselves but also the human stories behind them - the lives interrupted, the futures altered".

The consequences of terrorism are measured "in years and decades", as opposed to the "seconds or minutes" of the attack, she says.

"Resilience is not about forgetting... it is about finding the strength to continue despite profound loss and adversity," she says, finding "meaning, purpose and hope".

Image source, Getty Images

Price says he refuses to let terrorism have the last word.

He says terrorism does not end when emergency services leave the scene, but continues for years in hospital wards and in children growing up without a parent.

"When a nation remembers its victims and survivors, it says your lives matter, your losses matter and we will not look away," Price says.

Price finishes by saying he misses and loves Elaine every day, adding that her memory and the memory of every person killed or injured by terrorism can help shape a better future "if we choose to carry it with purpose".

"I ask you to remember not only what is lost, but what has been rebuilt and what remains possible," he adds.

Price now addresses the theme of today's second section: hope.

He describes hope as the "quiet decision, again and again, that tomorrow can still hold purpose, even when today is heavy with loss".

Price describes how in the early months it manifested as the determination to simply take one more step in physiotherapy.

Price, who is visibly emotional, describes the difficulty of rebuilding an identity without his partner Elaine, and how resilience forced him to accept help when pride made this difficult.

"I will never be the man I was before 22 May 2017, that man died in the City Room with Elaine, the man who emerged has had to adapt every part of daily life - physically, emotionally and practically."

But he says he has found "renewed purpose" supporting others walking similar paths.

After a brief musical interlude, the ceremony moves onto its next theme - hope and resilience.

We're now hearing from Paul Price, who sustained life-changing injuries and lost his partner Elaine in the Manchester Arena attack in 2017.

He says "the world I knew had gone" when he left hospital after a nine-month stay.

He had to "climb mountains" every single day, and the future he had imagined with Elaine had "vanished", Price says.

Today, the pain hasn't disappeared, he says, but he has "discovered both hope and resilience can be rebuilt brick by careful brick, even when everything has been shattered".

Image source, Home Office livestream

Cheryl reflects on the poem We Remember Them, which she came across at the beginning of her "journey of grief".

She says she hopes it will give people comfort and hope that their loved ones will stay safe and close.

Cheryl reads out the poem and asks the crowd to join in for the last line.

"As long as we live, they too will live, for they are now a part of us as we remember them," she reads.

Image source, Getty Images

Before the ceremony observed a two-minute silence, we heard from Cheryl Stollery whose husband, John, was killed in the 2015 Tunisia attack.

She says there will be others at the event who also lost people in that attack.

Stollery says they will all have "treasured memories" of loved ones no longer alive, and that her husband would wish to be remembered for the life he lived, not the way he died.

She references his work as a social worker, as well as his "wicked sense of humour" and "cheeky smile".

"We miss him every day," she continues, but adds they find strength in the "loved we shared" and a commitment to his "legacy of kindness for others".

The ceremony is about to observe a two-minute silence in memory of victims of terrorism.

We'll be pausing our live posts here while that takes place.

Image source, Reuters

More now from Security Minister Dan Jarvis.

He says a national day "cannot undo what has happened", and "no ceremony can ever remove the pain and impact of terrorism".

But he hopes today can offer "something important nonetheless", acting as a reminder that "your experiences matter" and that the country "stands alongside you".

He says that terrorism "seeks to create fear and division" but that it does not have to "define what comes next".

He then thanks all of those involved in the day, saying that victims, survivors and the bereaved will "always have a place in the national memory".

Concluding his remarks, Jarvis pays tribute to the victims: "Today and always we honour them, we remember them, and we affirm our commitment to never forget them."

Image source, Home Office livestream

Oppenheim invites Security Minister Dan Jarvis to the stage.

He says it is a great honour and privilege to mark this "significant moment".

Jarvis says he has met many victims, survivors and bereaved families impacted by terror and knows how important it is that they're recognised and remembered.

He says today is for everyone whose lives have been changed in ways they never chose by terrorism and those whose lives were taken.

Jarvis adds that for many it will be a deeply personal day and says everyone whose lives have been changed by terrorism "has my deepest respect and solidarity".

Image source, Reuters

Deputy Chair of the National Emergencies Trust Gerald Oppenheim begins the ceremony by welcoming those present and people joining via the live stream.

He says that many of those here have been "directly affected" by terrorism, while others join in "support and solidarity".

He mentions some of those attending including the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the prime minister, and representatives of the devolved governments.

He says he has spent more than two decades working to support people affected by emergencies, disasters and terrorism, and that he has learnt the importance of listening to people and ensuring they receive the support and assistance they need.

He says he hopes he has become "something of an advocate" for that.

The UK is holding its inaugural ceremony on the first national day dedicated to the victims and survivors of terrorism.

We're expecting to hear tributes and reflections from a range of victims, family members, survivors and emergency service workers.

We'll bring you all the key testimony - you can also follow along by tapping watch live at the top of the page.

• The ceremony may include content that some viewers find distressing. If you're affected by any of the issues in this page then support and help is available at BBC Action Line