Ariana Grande Sends Christmas Gifts to Children in Manchester Hospitals

Ariana Grande made certain that kids facing injuries or illnesses during Christmas this year still felt merry and bright. On Monday (Dec. 26), it was revealed that the 29-year-old pop star had sent presents to young patients at hospitals across Manchester, England, giving back to the city more than five years after it became the site of a horrific suicide bombing after one of her concerts.

“Thank you Ariana!” tweeted the official Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital charity account. “We were so excited to receive Christmas gifts for young patients across our hospitals from Ariana Grande.”

The foundation also shared photos of some of the gifts sent by Ariana Claus, each of them labeled with a tag reading “happy holidays! love ariana grande.” The presents were divided among “babies, children and teenagers” across Trafford Hospitals, Wythenshawe Hospital, North Manchester General Hospital and the RMCH.

At the time of publication, Grande has not posted about her donation on social media. Billboard has reached out to her rep for comment.

The Wicked star’s Christmas surprise is just the latest way she’s honored the English city since the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing, which killed 22 people and injured several hundred. The incident — later identified as a terrorist attack — took place as people were leaving the venue after Grande’s concert that night.

A couple weeks afterward, Grande and some of her famous friends organized One Love Manchester, a benefit concert for victims of the attack. In the years following, she’s gotten a tattoo of a bee (Manchester’s historic symbol) in remembrance, and released “Get Well Soon,” a song about her anxiety and PTSD struggles resulting from the bombing, with 40 seconds of silence added to the end of it, making its timestamp 5:22 — the date of the May 22 attack.

She’s also publicly spoken and posted on social media in honor of the victims several times over the years. “Manchester, my heart is with you today and always,” she wrote in a message on Instagram last year on the tragedy’s four-year anniversary.

“Although grief is ever-present and our relationship to it is constantly evolving and expressing itself in different ways every day, year round,” she also wrote. “I know that this anniversary will never be an easy one. Please know that I am thinking of you today.”

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