MANCHESTER has been front page news around the world this week. Not for its football or its music or its scientific achievements but because of the terrorist attack at the Manchester Arena.

From the shocking events of last Monday evening to the vigil the following day and the one minute’s silence, I Love MCR, an organisation which emerged from the ashes of the 2011 riots, has been in the eye of a media storm.

The I Love MCR symbol, a version of the iconic I Love NY design, was created to get the message across in as few words as possible. This week it has served the same purpose as it did six years ago - enabling the people of Manchester to unite and express their love for their city.

The main difference between the response to the IRA bombing of 1996 and the Arena bombing is that we now live in a digital age. News travels instantly and people can be mobilised in seconds. What we saw on Monday was a single act of pure evil. What we saw in its aftermath are countless acts of kindness, courage and togetherness.

To say that we have been overwhelmed by the response to the events of Monday night would be an understatement. People from all over the world have been using our social media platforms to send messages of support and we’ve been out distributing banners and window stickers for people to display in shops and offices.

Our phones have been ringing off the hook. We’ve been selling I Love MCR merchandise such as t-shirts and mugs to raise funds for the We Love MCR Emergency Appeal and we’ve had orders from as far afield as Wellington New Zealand and San Francisco USA. We’re working flat out to send orders out as quickly as possible.

The Manchester diaspora has come out in force. Many requests are from Mancunian expatriates who probably wish they were home now and who are expressing their support through I Love MCR.

After years of extolling the virtues of the city, the I Love MCR symbol has taken on a life of its own. But living it day by day, it can be easy to become blasé about it. To have it reverberate round the world is phenomenal.

People trust the symbol. We have been using it to send a positive message about Manchester for the last six years, so it’s gratifying to know that there are hundreds and thousands of people around the world who feel the way we do and are also expressing their love for Manchester through it.

Huge businesses are expressing their solidarity with Manchester. Thomas Cook are displaying a huge version of the symbol on the side of one of their planes.

How will the city move on from this? It’s already happening organically and people should be proud of the way they have reacted. In the city’s darkest day we saw some of its brightest and best qualities appear. We stand together and we stand strong defiantly.

The bounce back will be as phenomenal as the initial reaction to the events. You can’t keep a city like Manchester down for long. Together we are stronger than any force.

We will never forget what happened on Monday and we will do whatever we can do to help the city recover, let people know it is open for business and put it back on the international stage - but for the right reasons.

The I Love MCR symbol is one that unites. We want to use it to harness the spirit and energy of the people through the symbol. We encourage people to use it to generate awareness and raise funds, as long as it’s not for any commercial gain. But counterfeiters beware - it’s trademarked so we’ll coming after you, Manchester style.

All proceeds from sales of all I Love MCR merchandise purchased from the online shop are being donated to the Emergency Fund: www.ilovemanchester.com/shop

Donate to the We Love MCR Charity Emergency Fund at www.welovemcrcharity.org

I Love MCR founder Chris Greenhalgh