Memories of Chris brought back to life

Chris McManus (l) and his brother Benet

THE brother of murdered Royton hostage Chris McManus has put his grief to good use - by devising a novel way for families to remember their lost loved ones.

Benet McManus today launched Always Remembered - on the day Chris’s inquest took place in Salisbury.

Always Remembered allows family members and friends to buy a headstone plaque featuring a unique Quick Response code, which can be scanned by a smartphone. The code will take the user to a unique online memorial which can be filled with photos and memories of the deceased.

Benet said: “From the moment my family’s lives changed in March 2012, we have been working towards leaving a legacy for Chris in our own lives. Living with tragedy reminds us of the fragility of life and we do not want to waste a moment more. I would want Chris to be proud of me and of what I do in my life.

Twenty eight-year-old Chris was helping to build a bank in Nigeria when he was captured by a terrorist group alongside Italian colleague Franco Lamlinara, two years ago this month.

The pair were killed the following March, during a rescue mission by British Special Forces.

“We grew up as close as brothers can and as adults we were friends. His career was successful while I was working for a charity earning peanuts. We talked often about working together and came up with any number of hairbrained ideas to go into business.”

More than 600 mourners packed into Oldham’s St Patrick’s Church for Chris’s funeral. A minute’s silence was held at Boundary Park for the lifelong Latics fan, and a fund-raising game — Match4Mac — was held in aid of Amnesty International.

Benet added: “We wanted a memorial site to tell his story which we could link to his gravestone, but we were unable to find anything that fitted the bill. We now have the memorial for Chris we wanted.”

Visit www.alwaysremembered.org to find out more.