A family caught up in the Manchester Arena attack have criticised the trustees of a survivors' fund after they were denied a payout despite claiming to be suffering physical and psychological injuries.
Leisa Cohen was attending the Ariana Grande concert last May with her husband Brian and daughter Shannon when a suicide bomber detonated a device in the foyer of the arena, killing 22 people.
Leisa and her family were in the main concert hall when the bomb went off and she says she damaged her knee in the rush to escape the venue.
Her 17-year-old daughter Shannon says she has suffered flashbacks and anxiety attacks ever since.
But they have been told by trustees of the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund, set up to help the bereaved and injured, that they are not eligible for money because they were not in the the foyer.
:: Manchester Arena explosion: Children among dead in concert attack
The policy the fund adopts is that any survivor who was outside the foyer is not eligible to apply for funding for psychological support but can apply for funding for physical injuries. Trustees then assess cases individually.
Leisa, from Shebbear, Devon, told Sky News: "There's no way we're saying that the bereaved and those with life-changing injuries shouldn't have the bulk of the fund but it seems unfair that there's a two tier situation of those who were in the foyer and those who weren't.
"We've suffered flashbacks and anxiety attacks and I am constantly worrying about my daughter. We've had no help from the fund, no help from the NHS, no support and there are a lot of us who feel let down."
2:26Manchester City Council set up a charity to distribute the funds raised in the wake of the Manchester bombing, following advice from the Charity Commission.
As of April, £21.2m has been donated with more than £20m paid out to those most affected, the charity said.
Vicky Rosin, Chief Operating Officer, We Love Manchester Emergency Fund said: "From the very beginning the trustees felt that those inside the foyer who witnessed truly awful and terrible things – that they can never un-see – should be made a priority for the money.
"This includes families who lost loved ones, those who suffered life-changing injuries and families whose loved ones were in hospital for more than a week.
"We felt those who had generously donated the money would agree that was the best course of action.
"There had to be some kind of distinction between those who were in the foyer and those who were outside of it. We could not give a cash gift to all 14,000 people who were in the Arena that night and so we had to prioritise.
"Help is being made available to anyone who needs it through a variety of channels."
A spokesperson for the Charity Commission said: "It is the legal responsibility of a charity's trustees to make the difficult and complex decisions on how to allocate charitable funds and ensure that these reach the people they were intended for.
"It's important that charities are transparent about their decisions to ensure the public understand and can trust how their donations will be used.
"We will assess any information we receive regarding concerns that charitable funds relating to the tragic attack at the Manchester Arena have not been spent appropriately."
Shannon, 17, said: "We just went from happiest in a second to being the most frightened we've ever been.
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"When I'm out I just look at everyone and I'm convinced everyone is trying to kill me and I just want to walk around as normal and not be frightened."
Trustees for the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund have said they will review the Cohen's application.
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