Lorraine Kelly: Quiet and dignified, the Queen’s hospital visit gave strength to us all

IT was heartening to see the Queen visiting victims of the appalling attack in Manchester this week.

After such sickening terrorist outrages when we are shocked, angry and scared we need someone to give us reassurance.

Politicians only spout the words we have all heard before about not giving in to terrorism, standing together and staying strong.

These words are fine, but are increasingly sounding hollow as we hear them after every attack and nothing changes.

The presence of the Queen was important.

She is a symbol of endurance and permanence, and that’s important in these times.

It was very moving to see the faces of those in hospital light up when the Queen appeared at their bedside.

She may not have said anything profound, but a smile of sympathy and an acknowledgment of the wickedness of the attack was enough.

We are still reeling from this latest outrage aimed specifically at youngsters having fun at a concert.

You know that beforehand there will have been conversations among parents about letting them go to the a concert on a school night, and lots of excitement in the build up to the big day.

Fans were there from all over the country, including 14-year-old Eilidh MacLeod from Barra.

Tragically, she was one of the 22 murdered in the attack.

My heart aches for her family and for everyone on Barra, one of the most peaceful and beautiful parts of our country.

It’s a place I’ve visited often and I always receive the friendliest welcome and leave feeling relaxed, my faith in humanity restored.

Everyone there will be utterly devastated by Eildh’s death and worried sick about her friend, Laura MacIntyre, who is in hospital with serious injuries.

It’s something we have all been talking about with friends and family and sharing our feelings of horror, revulsion, sympathy and, sadly, fear.

These events do make us scared for ourselves and those that we love. It’s easy to say that we have to carry on with our lives as normal, but that doesn’t stop us having feelings of nagging dread.

I live in London during the week and we have had to become far more alert to suspicious-looking packages or individuals. I still take a deep breath while going on the tube, but you force yourself to go about your daily business as usual.

Londoners have had to cope with the threat of terrorism during the dark days of the IRA attacks, but these onslaughts are different.

Despite our security services becoming more sophisticated, they have an almost impossible task.

How do you protect us from a deranged, radicalised nutter who chooses to stand in the foyer of a concert hall with happy families and blow himself and 22 innocents to smithereens?

Big cities such as London, New York, Berlin, Istanbul and Brussels will always be targets, but as we have seen this week the sheer evil of those twisted Islamists can even spread their poison to remote places like Barra.

All we can do is send them our love and hope it is of some comfort.

I do think that it makes a difference, no matter how small, that the Queen sent her prayers to those in mourning and to those fighting for their lives.

Going in person to the hospital quietly and profoundly shows she stands with us against those who would do us harm.