Saffie Rose Roussos (pictured) was the youngest victim of the Manchester bombing, aged eight when she was killed
The parents of the youngest Manchester bombing victim Saffie Rose Roussos have sold the family chip shop that became a floral shrine to the tragic eight-year-old.
The family said that the chip shop called The Plaice, in Leyland, Lancashire, holds ‘memories that are too difficult to bear’.
They put the family business, where Saffie grew up, on sale in August, and are now a step closer to rebuilding their lives.
Saffie’s family, father Andrew, mother Lisa, sister Ashlee and brother Zander moved away shortly after she died.
The chip shop became a floral shrine to Saffie after her death at the hands of terrorist Salman Ramadan Abedi who blew himself up at the end of an Ariane Grande concert she attended with her mum and sister at Manchester Arena on May 22, last year.
Speaking on behalf of Saffie’s family of dad Andrew, mum Lisa, 48, sister Ashlee, 26, and brother Zander, who owned The Plaice in Leyland, Lancs., good friend Mike Swanson said: ‘The family had to move away and sell the business.
‘There was no way they could have stayed here.
‘It is such a close community, they were well known on the high street, they would have been reminded of what happened every single day.
‘It is hard enough for the family as it is, they are having to survive one day at a time.’
The Plaice chip shop, in Leyland, Lancashire, was turned into a floral tribute to Saffie and has now been sold by her family
Her family used to live in the three bedroom property above the shop but moved away from the area not long after the tragedy.
Father-of-two Mike Swanson, 39, – whose 11-year-old daughter, Lily, was Saffie’s best friend, had moved into the property while he was selling it on behalf of the Roussos.
He said: ‘It has been a very hard time for us too. My own daughters were staying in Saffie’s old room.
‘It was very hard because it’s a place that’s filled with such good memories that are too difficult to bear.
Her family have now sold the chip shop where she grew up because the ‘memories are too difficult to bear’
‘Lily didn’t go to the concert because I didn’t buy the tickets on time, by the time I got through they had sold out.
‘Saffie was so excited about the concert, she and Lily were singing along and dancing to Ariane Grande songs for months.
‘Lily rang Saffie during concert to ask her what it was like, because she was also excited. I had to tell Lily to leave her alone to get on with her night.
‘Once we knew what had happened, I knew I had to focus on helping the Roussos. I knew I had to dedicate everything to helping them.’
Mr Swanson, who runs SOS Computing near the chippy, speaks to the family every day and even spent Christmas with them.
He said they are pleased that the business has gone to another family and hope it will remain a family business.
The eight-year-old attended the Ariana Grande concert with her mother and her sister after her friend couldn’t get tickets
The new owners,are husband and wife Paul and Joanne Shannon, who come from Leyland.
Mr Swanson said: ‘The Roussos were hoping for a quick sale but there is possibly no such thing as a quick sale.
‘It has been hard to let the business go, where Saffie had grown up, but knowing they can’t continue without her.
‘It has been so heartbreaking for me to watch the new family moving in, to see them excited at their new venture.
‘For us, me and my daughters, Lily, and her younger sister, Grace, eight, it is so sad. It is showing how final it is.
‘As we packed up to move out we realised it would be the last time that we would be in Saffie’s room.
‘I’m now thinking that we might also move away.
‘I now know the full meaning of terrorism, of the terror that it instills in families and of the knock-on effect it has on everyone around you in one fatal swoop.’
He added: ‘Each day I still expect Saffie to run into the computer shop at 4.10pm and tell me to ring Lily so she can come over and they can play out in the front.
‘Lily had a breakdown lately when she couldn’t log on to her Instagram account, she has so many pictures of Saffie there and they shared so messages between them.
‘Lily thinks it’s funny Saffie is always portrayed as such a little princess when she was also a tomboy who liked to play a prank.
‘Everyday there is something, everyday it hurts.’
New owner Paul said they will keep the name as it is, and not be calling it Saffie’s Plaice, as previously reported.
Paul said: ‘Throughout the process we’ve been in contact with the family.
‘We asked that question because there had been discussions, predominantly on social media, with people saying it should be Saffie’s Plaice, but when we put that to the family, that wasn’t in fact their wish.’
Paul said he would continue in his line of work, managing leisure facilities, and Joanne will run the shop, which is expected to reopen mid to late February.