Boris Johnson holds up his Manchester Bee painting during an art class in October 2021. Photo by Stefan Rousseau-WPA Pool/Getty Images.
Leah Aaron grew up in Manchester and is currently doing a PhD with us at the Bartlett School of Planning. From the city's old coat of arms to the Manchester bombings; Leah follows the bee's history in an article contributed to The Mill.
Everything accelerated after the Manchester Arena attack in 2017. Within hours of the bombing, the Bee appeared as a rallying symbol for me and so many other Mancunians.