Mountain rescue teams give up their search for missing five-year-old April Jones

- Hundreds form solemn procession through town of Machynlleth- Mountain rescuers end their search efforts- Church service offers prayers for missing April Jones, 5- Emails of support come in from around the world and Texas church makes donation- Former lifeguard Mark Bridger charged yesterday with her murder and abduction
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8 October 2012
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Mountain rescue workers have given up their hunt for missing five-year-old April Jones.

The news comes after hundreds of people formed a procession through the Welsh town of Machynlleth ahead of a church service for the schoolgirl.

This afternoon, Simon Woodhead, from Mountain Rescue England and Wales, said search workers will step down this evening.

"We've now reached a point where we've exhausted the search of areas best suited to our skills given what we currently know," Mr Woodhead said.

"The tasks now being generated are suited more to specially trained police teams.

"As such Mountain Rescue operations will be suspended this evening."

He said Mountain Rescue workers would remain on hand and assist police if they need them.

Mountain Rescue workers have contributed 9,250 man-hours to the search for April, Mr Woodhead said. The service is made up of teams that are funded by donations.

A procession of more than 700 people walked slowly through the Welsh town of Machynlleth earlier today.

The ceremony brought normal life in the town 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."

Reverend Rogers said that a service had also been held for the search workers at the local leisure centre this morning.

"I have brought a candle from that service so that they are here with us in spirit," she said.

There was a moment of silence before those gathered sang the Welsh hymn Morning Has Broken.

Reverend Rogers then read a touching poem on behalf of April's mother called "Mum".

Speaking before today's ceremony, Reverend Rogers said: "The realisation is coming on since yesterday when we heard murder - that has hit home.

"All we want really is to bring her home. April belongs to everyone now.

"There is one person here who has done an evil thing in our community but there are hundreds and thousands of people who are with us. Evil will never win over the good in people."

She added: "We have had emails from around the world and we know that many people are with us in spirit."

Bishop of Bangor, Reverend Andy John, said the community had shown the world how much they cared.

He said: "We care for April and her family.

"We're here to surround them with our love and our prayer and let them know that we are here for them.

"Coral and Paul are listening to this...our prayers for you and April will continue."

Reverend John said the tight-knit community had "touched the heart of people around the world".

He said emails had been received from as far afield as South Africa and New Zealand - and a church in Texas had even made a donation.

Reverend John extended his thanks to those who had helped including the "extraordinary effort" of mountain rescue teams.

"I want to thank the police for their professional dedication and we're glad that they're here for us," he added.

He said members of the media have also shown their "deeply caring" side and he thanked them for telling the story of the town.

"That story today is encapsulated in this service," he said.

A young boy and girl carried a pink candle deemed "April's candle" and the "Book of Hope" to the altar, which was then blessed by Reverend John.

The service ended with the hymn All Things Bright And Beautiful while a CD called Hope, which was compiled especially for April, was played as the congregation left the church.

Former lifeguard Mark Bridger, 46, was charged yesterday with the abduction and murder of April.

Local man Bridger is also accused of perverting the course of justice and will appear before Aberystwyth Magistrates' Court tomorrow.

The five-year-old remains missing despite an intensive, ongoing search. Exhaustive efforts to find any sign of April continue unabated.

News that charges had been brought against Bridger came at a packed press conference in Aberystwyth at the end of four days of police interrogation.

While the decision means police have little expectation of finding April alive, residents in Machynlleth refuse to give up hope.

This morning's show of mass solidarity is just the latest by the resilient community, which donned pink ribbons earlier this week in symbolic hope that April was still alive.

It followed a call from Coral Jones, 40, April's mother, for people to wear ribbons of pink, April's favourite colour.

April, who has cerebral palsy, was playing out late on her bicycle as a treat for a glowing school report when she disappeared on Monday evening.

Bridger, a local man known to the girl's family, was originally arrested on suspicion of abduction on Tuesday afternoon.

His Land Rover Discovery was also seized by police and is undergoing forensic examination.

The schoolgirl's abduction has shaken the small mid Wales community to the core.

The service today is seen as the start of a process aimed at healing the community.

Speaking before the service, the Bishop of Bangor said: "I will be speaking just to say that in tragic times we need to be there for one another," he said tonight.

"That is what we will be doing there, offering a prayer and hope and comfort and if people feel that to be the case it will be something good."

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