A THREE-YEAR-OLD toddler excitedly buying a Mother's Day card, a 12-year-old schoolboy treating himself to a pair of Everton football shorts and a mum-of-two shopping with her family in tow.

This was the scene in the heart of Warrington town centre moments before two bombs exploded on March 20, 1993.

It was a typical day. Ordinary people going about their ordinary lives unaware of an act of terrorism that was already in motion.

More than two decades later, thousands of people gathered at the Manchester Arena on May 22, 2017, to watch popstar Ariana Grande perform her latest string of hits.

As revellers left the concert – many young children – a suicide bomber detonated an explosive in the foyer killing 22 people and injuring many more.

"He was just inside the doors to the foyer when he detonated the explosive but he ended up in the concourse where I was," said Victoria Sharpe, from Leeds.

"He landed in front of me – I saw everything."

The 33-year-old has bravely opened up about the psychological effect of witnessing the atrocity unravel in front of her eyes and how with the help of the Foundation for Peace's Survivors Assistance Network (SAN) she has been able to gradually come to terms with what happened.

SAN is a free service available to British residents who have been affected by a terror attack, regardless of whether they have been affected as a result of what they have witnessed, the injuries they have sustained or having lost a loved one.

The team is currently supporting people who have been affected by the IRA attacks in the 1980s and 1990s as well as people from London 7/7 and more recent attacks in Tunisia, Paris, Nice, Berlin and Manchester.

Music lover Victoria first encountered the work of SAN after joining an app to support victims and their families.

"You can talk to people if you are having a bad day," said the 33-year-old buyer.

"I went to the concert by myself so I didn't know anyone else who was going through what I was going through.

"I put a couple of posts on the app and it caused Donna and Will from SAN to give me a call.

"They were incredible. They wrote letters to my GP and to my employer to make sure they were fully aware of what was going on.

"They were able to make sure I was seen on a psychological side and to make sure I was getting the medication I needed.

"They were brilliant – if I hadn't had that support I don't know what would have happened to me."

While Victoria still struggles with good and bad days she is now hopeful for the future.

"My friends were trying to figure out how to deal with me as I was going through all these things – I was scared of the dark, I didn't like hearing bangs, I didn't want to go outside," she said.

"You have got your GP telling you it's normal but you question whether it is.

"You have all these constant questions. When I joined the app I was reading about how other people are going through exactly the same thing that I was.

"They helped me to feel that I was normal but in a bad situation."

To show her support for SAN, Victoria held a charity ball last year where she raised just under £6,000. Planning is already under way for this year's event.

She is also preparing to take on Mount Everest in November to raise further funds for the foundation.

"Everybody keeps saying getting over mental health and trauma is like climbing a mountain," she said.

"I have heard it 100 times over so I'm going to climb a mountain and tell you which one is harder."

To donate visit foundation4peace.everydayhero.com/uk/victoria-s-everest-trek.

For more detail about SAN email SAN@Foundation4peace.org, call 581240 or tweet @survivors4p.