The funeral of April Jones has begun in the murdered schoolgirl's home town in mid-Wales. A white horse-drawn cortege led mourners, including the 5-year-old's parents Paul and Coral from their Machynlleth home to St. Peter's Church.
Crowds lined the streets and filled the church and its graveyard for the long-awaited ceremony. Those paying their respects were asked to wear pink, April's favourite colour.
As the tiny coffin was carried into the church by family members, Coral wept, holding her hand to her face, comforted by Paul, while other relatives fought back tears.
April's body has not been found
A message from April's family, written on the order of service, said they "would like to say a big thank you to everyone for their overwhelming kindness, sympathy and support during this sad, sad time".
Among the crowds were members of the mountain rescue, who helped search for April.
Beginning the service, the Reverend 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."
Two poems by a local writer - one called April and the other called An Autumn Night - are being read during the service and the words of well-known hymns have been changed to suit the family.
It is almost a year to the day since the 5-year-old went missing - with her murderer, Mark Bridger, jailed for his entire life in May. But reminders of the youngster are visible throughout the town.
A memorial garden has been built on the estate of Bryn y Gog, close to the home where she lived throughout her brief life.
Her disappearance led to a massive manhunt
Earlier April's father Paul inspected flowers and dolls left at the garden, which has become a focal point for locals. A bench bearing her name has been placed among the trees and next to a pink playhouse.
Up in the Welsh hills overlooking her hometown, a tree has been intricately wrapped in knitted pink patches and below in the valley pink ribbons still adorn many of the shop fronts and houses.
But the town is different now according to Councillor Mike Williams, a friend and neighbour of April's family.
He explained "It's the magnitude of an event in which a five-year-old girl was ripped from her family, ripped from the community, in such a vile and vicious way. But the town has stayed together and together we will be. We will be as one and we will be always with the family in support."
April Jones' funeral reflects the wishes of her grieving parents Paul and Coral, who had wondered for months whether it would even be possible as their daughter's body was never found apart from fragments of bone.
