Hundreds pay their respects to girls at Soham

Hundreds of mourners have gathered at Soham's St Andrew's Church to pay their respects to murdered British schoolgirls Holly …

Hundreds of mourners have gathered at Soham's St Andrew's Church to pay their respects to murdered British schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman.

It marks a week since the discovery of the two girls' bodies.

People travelled from all over Britain to pay their own personal tribute to the 10-year-olds.

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We haven't come to terms with the events. We are still completely stunned by the way in which this terrible tragedy has affected everybody across the world
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Rev Tim Alban Jones

The parish priest the Rev Tim Alban Jones expressed his "deep gratitude" to all those who had sent messages of support to the families and town.

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"We haven't come to terms with the events. We are still completely stunned by the way in which this terrible tragedy has affected everybody across the world," he said.

"It's unbelievable that our town of Soham has become the focus of such worldwide attention. We are stunned that our heartache, and it is in reality a tragedy of two families, has touched the hearts and minds of millions of people across the globe.

"We haven't counted the number of flowers but we think it is more than 10,000 bouquets and more than 2,000 soft toys. The families are bearing up with an amazing amount of dignity and courage.

"Each day I'm taking boxes of cards to the families that have been sent to me at the church. On Thursday I delivered six boxes, six on Friday and four today. It's just extraordinary. I'm overwhelmed how this has sparked something off in the country."

Eighteen miles away, at the scene where the bodies were found, a second garden of flowers, 200 yards long and at times five feet in depth, has been created by wellwishers.

More than 150,000 messages of support for the two families have been posted on the special website dedicated to the two girls which has been visited by almost two million people.

PA