Thousands of people have gathered in the centre of Manchester in a show of defiance, declaring they will not be "beaten" or "intimidated" in the wake of the terror attack.

Crowds spilled from Albert Square on to nearby roads, standing together in an act of solidarity.

Lu Bowen, 40, brought flowers to lay as a mark of respect, and said it has been a "horrific" day.

Standing alongside her teenage daughter Lucy, she said: "We watched it all unfold last night.

"We felt we wanted to show a sense of solidarity and commitment that Manchester always has.

"When the chips are down, Manchester always pulls together."

She said some of her friends felt nervous about the prospect of coming into the city on Tuesday night, adding: "I personally just want to make a stand that even if my friends felt a bit nervous, I felt it was very important to prove that I won't be beaten, intimidated.

"And also, people have lost loved ones. If it was me, I'd want to see this."

Lucy said she had friends at the concert who were "shaken up", adding: "A few of them didn't come into school."

Her mother said: "It's been a horrific day. But we all feel the same here. We're here together."

The crowds erupted into applause as the vigil began.

Senior figures including Home Secretary Amber Rudd, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Speaker John Bercow joined Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham on stage.

Lord Mayor of Manchester Eddy Newman said the vigil was a chance to "express solidarity" with the victims.

He thanked the emergency services, prompting a rapturous response from the thousands of people gathered there.

Addressing the crowd, Greater Manchester Police's Ian Hopkins said: "As your Chief Constable of Greater Manchester and as a father I cannot begin to imagine how anyone can carry out such an unthinkable act - murdering 22 people and injuring 59 - and my thoughts and those of my colleague are very much with their families at this incredibly difficult time."

Mr Hopkins added: "Last night, in the most atrocious circumstances, the people of Greater Manchester showed the world how much we care.

"How much we care about each other and how much we were prepared to help those in need.

"And I've heard some tremendous stories of doctors coming in to support and police officers, ambulance workers giving up their days off turning up to help those in need."

Mr Hopkins thanked those who had worked "tirelessly" through the night, "members of the public for their solidarity" and "the rest of the world for holding us in their thoughts".

"We must all stand together and not let the terrorists defeat us, not let them stop us going about our daily business and create fear and we must all live in harmony with each other as we stand together and defeat terrorism," he said.

Poet Tony Walsh said: "We stand here in a truly great city, in a truly great city region.

"It falls to me to try and sum up what makes this city, its people, its communities so great."

He read his poem This Is The Place before adding: "Forever Manchester. Choose love Manchester".

The square fell silent as they remembered the lives of those who died.

Poet Tony Walsh performed a touching ode to Manchester called This Is The Place, which sparked ripples of laughter, lightening the mood as the sun beamed on the Town Hall.

He described the city as "ace", hailed its "brilliant music" and ability to "make things from steel" and said Mancunians "make people laugh" and "welcome".

In a poignant moment he referred to the "Mancunian way to survive" and "northern grit", and said: "In the face of a challenge we always stand tall."

He added: "We keep fighting back with Greater Manchester spirit."

Members of the public wept as they laid flowers and lit candles after the ceremony in front of the town hall.

Sue Shevlin, 43, and Sinead Ginty, 24, wiped away tears as they turned from the growing pile of floral tributes.

The pair said they had come to "show some respect and support".

Ms Ginty said the city would "stand together as one - Muslims, Christians, atheists".

"We've got to stand together - every religion," she said.

Stephanie Aims was among those in tears at the growing floral shrine.

She said the attack brought back memories of the 1996 IRA bombing in Manchester.

Ms Aims, who lives on Birmingham but used to live in Manchester, said she would not be afraid.

"You can't stop doing what you need to do. You have to go on with everything, and you can't be afraid to come and show your respects," she said.

Tom Buchan, from Heywood, came to lay flowers after being moved by the death of eight-year-old Saffie Rose Roussos.

The 29-year-old said he felt he "had to do something", as he left a card with the message: "To Saffie Rose, RIP my darling, we will stand together."

He said: "The eight-year-old girl, that really got me this morning as my little boy is eight."