The teacher of tragic Eilidh MacLeod who was killed in the Manchester arena bombing has told an inquiry into the outrage that it was a 'privilege' to have known the teenager.
Eilidh, from the Isle of Barra, was just 14 when she and 21 others lost their lives on on May 22, 2017.
The attack at the arena came as fans were leaving an Ariana Grande pop concert.
Eilidh’s friend Laura MacIntyre, 15, also from Barra, survived but was badly injured.
Now among a series of heartfelt tributes delivered by video to the ongoing inquiry at Manchester Magistrates Court, teacher Michelle McLean said Eilidh always had a smile on her face.
She said: "What a privilege it was for me to have her in my class as a lovely young woman.
"She was the kind of girl who smiled all the time. She giggled, she was happy.
"You're taught when you're teaching in school not to have favourites but some children just stick with you and she was certainly one of these girls."
The inquiry has been examining what happened during the fateful terrorist attack.
Details have been given on the moment Salman Abedi detonated his bomb in the City Room foyer and the extent of the medical treatment given to their injuries, and their cause of death.
The court heard how 14-year-old Eilidh travelled to Manchester from her home on the Isle of Barra in the Outer Hebrides with her mum and a friend.
The “much-loved” middle sister of three was “very family orientated” and loved music which was a big part of her life, having enjoyed success in the World Bagpipe Playing Championships in 2016.
Eilidh was four metres from the explosion and a post-mortem examination showed it was very likely she would have died quickly from multiple injuries, said to be unsurvivable.
A charity has now been set up in her honour.
The Eilidh MacLeod Memorial Trust aims to bring the joy of music to young people and has already raised thousands.
