IN the wake of the Manchester terror attack the team at Debenhams in Warrington opened up their arms to help put a smile on the faces of shoppers in the town.

Workers at the department store in Golden Square Shopping Centre decided to give out hugs yesterday, Wednesday, following the devastating events of Monday night at the Manchester Arena which left 22 people dead and many more injured.

Rhea Price, store manager, said: "As a team we came up with the idea.

"We have a member of staff who was affected by what happened on Monday and customers who had been there on the night.

"It has been a difficult time for everyone so we just wanted to do something that would cheer people up."

Hundreds of hugs were dished out throughout the day on Wednesday.

She added: "We hugged as many customers and team members as possible with more than 500 hugs on the day.

"The customers were even hugging each other.

"The feedback was amazing and they loved it."

Warrington Guardian: