- .April's coffin taken to St Peter's Church in a white horse-drawn carriage from the family home in Machynlleth
- .Parents Coral and Paul and siblings Harley and Jazmin wore pink in memory of April as it was her favourite colour
- .Mother Coral sobbed as she walked into the church where she was joined by hundreds of mourners
- .April's family can hold funeral one year after she was killed by Mark Bridger
- .Small Welsh town decorated in pink as a memorial to the schoolgirl and 'April's Garden' installed yards from her home
By BECKY EVANS
April's mother Coral Jones wept as she walked into the funeral service for her five-year-old daughter who was murdered last year
The mother of April Jones sobbed in grief as she walked slowly into the funeral service for her murdered daughter today.
Bells rang out in mourning as the cream-coloured coffin containing the remains of the five-year-old schoolgirl was carried into church.
Hundreds of mourners crowded into St Peter's Church as the mid Wales market town of Machynlleth came to a standstill for April's funeral service.
Mother Coral Jones, dressed in black, sobbed audibly as she made her way to the front of the church preceded by her daughter's coffin.
Husband Paul walked at her side acknowledging the pats of compassion and nods of encouragement of friends and neighbours at the service.
April's sister Jazmin and brother Harley accompanied them to the front where the service was conducted by Reverend Kathleen Rogers.
As they arrived, a poignant montage of images of April played on a 50inch flat screen TV taken from the family's own album of images.
Showing a new-born April smiling out at the world they included photographs of her lying on a beach and playing in the countryside.
Each framed image was depicted hanging from the branches of a large tree on a sunny day.
The images, put together as part of a GCSE school project by Jazmin, played to the strains of Read All About It by Emeli Sande and Professor Green.
A poignant poem inspired by the devastating abduction of April before her tragic fate was known was read out by Sian Calban, a teacher at the primary school she attended.
Written by local man Jim Marshall and called simply April, it begins: 'On this beautiful sunlit autumn day, A desperate sadness casts long shadows, across our anxious and questioning world.
'Time and mischance have conspired, To inflict the cruellest of evil fates, on an innocent and trusting infant.'
A second poem, by the same author, and called An Autumn Night, was read out by church warden Joyce Price.
The Rev Kathleen Rogers said: 'We know that there are no words we can say at this moment to express what we are feeling.
'No words can alleviate our sorrow or take away our pain.'
April parent's Paul and Coral and siblings Jazmin and Harley stood at the front of the church for the moving service.
The Rev Kathleen Rogers leads the procession into the church. April's coffin was adorned with brightly coloured flowers
The tiny white coffin of April Jones (left) was carried through the grieving town of Machynlleth by a horse-drawn carriage (right)
The family of April Jones and mourners follow her coffin out of St Peter's Church after the moving service
Representatives from the police and search and rescue teams were among the scores of people to join the family during the funeral
Paul comforts son Harley while April's mother Coral and sister Jazmin look on. April's siblings both wore a pink ribbon for the sad occasion
April's mother Coral wept and clutched her husband's hand as she led her children into the church
April's sister Jazmin (pictured right alongside her parents) compiled a touching montage of photographs of the five-year-old
Ms Rodgers, who donned a pink ribbon for the service, told the congregation: 'We have come to celebrate her short life and grieve together, to say goodbye.
'It's a bittersweet moment. Our hopes and dreams have changed because April has been taken from us.'
'But you know, we come also with a sense of thanksgiving for the many ways that April touched our lives and those with whom she came into contact.
'For a five-year-old she touched a great many lives. For Paul, Coral, Jazmin and Harley, April was and is extra special.
'But she touched us all and we think and feel differently because of the difference she made to us.
Today, here in this place, she is linking us all together in grief. Yet, grief goes hand in hand with love.
'In whatever way we express our grief, it shows our love for April.
'And surely that is the most important thing for any human being of whatever age, simply to be loved.'
Prayers were said for April - for the memories she left of times of 'laughter', of 'mischief' and times of 'inquisitiveness'.
April's sister Jazmin (centre) arrived at the funeral holding hands with her friends, who also wore pink ribbons of support
Neither April's mother Coral (left), who wore a bracelet bearing her name, or sister Jazmin (right) could hold back their tears as they entered the church
The coffin of April is carried by family members into St Peter's Church for her funeral as her parents follow behind
April's father Paul, wearing a pink shirt, hugs son Harley as they walk behind the flower-adorned coffin
April's father Paul (centre) escorts his wife Coral and their son Harley into the church where two poems in memory of the schoolgirl were read out
April's tiny coffin inside the church where hundreds of mourners from Macynlleth who packed inside to pay their last respects
Inside, Rev Rogers said April was a 'sweet and innocent little girl' who touched so many lives inside the small Welsh town and beyond
Ms Rogers also said prayers for April's family and those who had helped them through what Ms Rogers described as their 'darkest of days'.
She extended thanks to everyone from Mr and Mrs Jones for their support over the last 12 months.
The small town was decorated in the five-year-old's favourite colour of pink and ribbons were hung from railings, shop windows and lampposts.
A message from Bishop of Bangor Andrew John was also read to the congregation.
It said: 'The Diocese of Bangor is holding you as a family and as a community in its prayers. You are not alone.'
Donations made at April's funeral will be used to sponsor a five-year-old girl in a village in Uganda in what Ms Rogers said was 'an attempt to see some good out of this tragedy'.
The service included Psalm 23: The Lord Is My Shepherd, and hymns including Memories Sad And Beautiful, and a Welsh hymn.
Closing the service, Ms Rogers said each sunrise and sunset would bring with it memories of April.
The service today was deliberately put together to include a series of Welsh and English hymns, with the reading of a psalm and poetry chosen by the family.
Rev Rogers addresses the congregation beside the coffin of April Jones (right) and the order of service (left). Two poems by local man Jim Marshall were read out
Flowers were left for April. The card simply read: 'In loving memory of April. Love Nan and Grandad'
A card on another set of flowers left outside the church read: 'April, always in our thoughts. Love and miss you. Nanny and Grandad'
A beautiful wreath for April adorned with an angel and a card that read: 'Always in our thoughts we will never forget you darling'
Mourners wearing April's favourite colour could not hold back their tears as they attended the service
A woman carries a sunflower wrapped with a pink ribbon. April's family thanked the town for their support in a message read out in church
No family member spoke at the packed service, which was organised only after the conclusion of an inquest, 10 days after which April's remains were released.
A short message from the family printed on the back of the order of service simply said: 'Paul, Coral, Jazmin and Harley would like to say a big thank you to everyone for their overwhelming kindness, sympathy and support during this sad, sad time.'
The brief message was flanked by a drawing of three sunflowers held together by a bright pink bow.
Pink, April's favourite colour, was widely worn by the hundreds of mourners both in and outside the church.
Pink floral tributes were also placed at the entrance of the church by well-wishers, carrying heartfelt messages of sympathy for April and her family.
One stated simply: 'Fly high little angel, forever in our hearts, lots of love, Lorna, Boyd, Connie, Ella and Ewan.'
Another pink bouquet carried the message: 'Always in our thoughts. We will never forget you darling April. Jamie, Eirwen, Jamie jnr.'
Today's sombre occasion took place five days before the first anniversary of the abduction and murder of April from the town's Bryn-y-Gog estate on October 1 last year.
Paedophile Mark Bridger, 47, was convicted of the killing in May after a trial at Mold Crown Court and was sentenced to a whole-life term in prison.
April's coffin - topped with yellow, orange and purple flowers - is placed into the white hearse
Pink flowers spelling out April's name could be seen as through the carriage's glass windows as it made its way through Machynlleth
April's parents and brother and sister left a pink and white wreath with a small crown and a card that read: 'Shine bright like a diamond. Find happiness with the angels'
April's family walk to the church where hundreds of mourners gathered to pay their respects to the schoolgirl
Hundreds of mourners lined the streets in silence as April's family walked behind her coffin
April Jones's coffin is brought to St Peter's Church, Machynlleth, in a horse drawn carriage
Scores of people walked in the procession behind the white horse-drawn carriage in Machynlleth
Even the horses bore April's favourite colour of pink as they pulled her coffin to the church today
POIGNANT TRIBUTE TO APRIL
Two poems by local man Jim Marshall were read out at April's funeral. The first was called An Autumn Night:
On this beautiful sunlit autumn day
A desperate sadness casts long shadows
Across our anxious and questioning world
Time and mischance have conspired
To inflict the cruelest of evil fates
On an innocent and trusting infant.
A desperate sadness casts long shadows
Across our anxious and questioning world
Time and mischance have conspired
To inflict the cruelest of evil fates
On an innocent and trusting infant.
Known to us as April of springtime renewal.
In time, beyond calculation.
A bright star from her winter solstice
Slowly emerges far beyond the rock crags
And distant hills of the Llyfnant Valley.
Slowly emerges far beyond the rock crags
And distant hills of the Llyfnant Valley.
When by ancient custom and seasons change,
My salt marsh world is filled with
The exhalting spring chorus of skylarks.
My salt marsh world is filled with
The exhalting spring chorus of skylarks.
Of redshank yodelling near and afar.
Of snipe, in secret rivalry drumming
Draw impossible aerobatic lines in display
At dusk, at day’s end and at dawn
Of curlews sounding triumphant with urgency,
Now sound quieted in plaintive lament.
Draw impossible aerobatic lines in display
At dusk, at day’s end and at dawn
Of curlews sounding triumphant with urgency,
Now sound quieted in plaintive lament.
Of silent clusters of wild cherry trees
Cloaked in shimmering blossom,
Blushing in every exquisite shade of pink
Now stand as bright beacons,
As a reminder in tribute heralding renewal
Among our ancient hills and green woodlands.
Cloaked in shimmering blossom,
Blushing in every exquisite shade of pink
Now stand as bright beacons,
As a reminder in tribute heralding renewal
Among our ancient hills and green woodlands.
For they and we will name by whispered prayer
This bright star of springtime
As April.
This bright star of springtime
As April.
For April will gift her gentle light
Over her valley and for all of us to remember.
Over her valley and for all of us to remember.
Oh, little infant, so newly emerged from your cradle,
As you sleep the eternal sleep
Dream only of our moments of happiness
As we cherish the precious gift of your smile.
As you sleep the eternal sleep
Dream only of our moments of happiness
As we cherish the precious gift of your smile.
Sleep and dream in peace.
Dwell among the stars
And in the gentle sunlight of spring
Always. So likened to your name.
And in the gentle sunlight of spring
Always. So likened to your name.
He was jailed still insisting he had knocked down April accidentally in an alcohol-fuelled haze and had no memory of what he did with her body.
Search teams combed the area around the town for more than six months looking for a trace of April without success.
Her remains amount to just 17 tiny pieces of bone, fragments of her skull, recovered by detectives from the fireplace of Bridger's cottage.
The funeral service was made possible by a recent inquest into April's death at which her remains were released and a death certificate issued.
A poignant memorial featuring a pink dolls' house, pink ribbons and scores of pink flowers was set up earlier yards from April's home.
Pink ribbons were adopted by locals as a symbol of hope that April would return home safe, but now serve as a sign of support to her family as well a reminder that people have not forgotten her.
A neighbour of April's parents Coral and Paul, who did not want to be named, said ahead of the funeral : 'I can't really explain how I feel about today. It still feels unreal - everything that happened.
'In a sense, everyone around here feels a bit relieved that April can finally have a proper funeral.
'The fact that Coral and Paul have been denied that for so long because that scumbag Mark Bridger refused to say what he did with April's body has made their pain even worse.
'I'm hoping that today will help April's family gain a degree of closure - though they'll obviously never get over what happened.
'People here will never forget April and will always be here for her family.
'The way everyone still wears pink ribbons and looks after the memorial garden is a way of showing our support.'
An inquest into her death, which concluded on September 16, allowed a death certificate to be issued so April's funeral could take place.
Her family had been denied that right until the inquest concluded after Bridger refused to say what he did with her body.
Reverend Kathleen Rogers will conducted today's funeral service said earlier she hopes it will be the start of a return to normality for the town.
'A funeral plays a significant part in the grieving process and the funeral of little April will be even more important for her family as the probability of such a service was very remote until the inquest two weeks ago,' she said on the eve of the service.
'Our prayer is that it will be a starting point for them as they travel the long and painful journey of healing. It will also, I think, give the community permission to bring some sort of normality back to our town.'
Her words came as it was announced that donations made at April's funeral will be used to sponsor a five-year-old girl in a village in Uganda.
Rev Rogers said the parish would sponsor the child until she finishes her education 'in an attempt to see some good out of this tragedy'.
She added: 'April's parents have kindly asked that donations from her funeral be donated to this sponsorship and we are very grateful to them.'
Justin Byworth, chief executive of World Vision UK, said: 'We're privileged that the church and April's family have chosen to honour April's memory by sponsoring a child through World Vision UK.
'We offer our sincerest condolences and we express our gratitude that, through these desperately sad circumstances, a five-year-old girl in Uganda will benefit.'
Poignant: A pink memorial to April of a doll's house, cuddly toys and flowers, stands yards from her home
April's Garden: The touching tribute has been installed on the Bryn-y-Gog estate where the child was snatched
Support: The community has got behind April's family and Machynlleth is decorated in pink today for her funeral
Cruel: Mark Bridger (left), who was convicted of April's murder in May, has never revealed where her body is
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