Hundreds turn out for April service (From Herald Series)

Hundreds turn out for April service

11:33am Sunday 7th October 2012 in National News © Press Association 2013

Hundreds of people have turned out to pay their respects as an emotional service took place for missing five-year-old April Jones.

A procession of more than 700 people walked slowly through the Welsh town of Machynlleth, as normal life came to a standstill.

Hundreds gathered at the Bryn-y-Gog estate from where April was abducted on Monday evening.

With crowds wearing pink ribbons symbolising the faith many still have that the girl remains alive, the procession moved in subdued silence through the town.

Roads along the route were closed off as the sombre gathering inched its way slowly to St Peter's Church at the heart of the mid Wales market town.

Reverend Kathleen Rogers addressed the congregation, as she offered prayers for April's parents Coral, 40, and Paul, 44, who did not attend the ceremony.

She said: "We cannot bring little April, our sweet and innocent little girl, home as we had hoped."

"But our hope has now been moved on to sure and certain hope that she is in the arms of Jesus.

"Coral and Paul may not be with us this morning but we hold them very close in our hearts as we pray for them.

"There are hundreds of people today searching our town, our countryside, our river. Many hundreds more have been searching this last week. We thank them and we pray for them as they came to us in our hour of need and they continue to be with us."