Star comment: Town united in grief for little April Jones

But today, as the town prepared to say a formal goodbye to April Jones

, another small part of the long and painful grieving process will hopefully be complete.

It is almost a year to the day since little April went missing, and close to four months since her murderer, Mark Bridger, was jailed for life.

Reverend Kathleen Rogers, who was conducting the funeral, says she hopes today's ceremony will be the start of a return to normality for the town.

But the road towards lifting that dark cloud which has hung over the area for the past year will be a long one.

Parents remain far more cautious about their children's whereabouts in the wake of the April Jones murder. No longer do they consider their streets to be tranquil places where safety is taken for granted.

Machynlleth has, in many ways, lost its innocence.

And yet, as the horse-drawn hearse carrying April's coffin prepared to leave from the Bryn-y-Gog housing estate where she was last seen alive, there has rarely been a stronger sense of community togetherness.

Friends, family, rescue workers and the many volunteers who gave up their time hunting for the youngster's body were united in their grief, in their celebration of her all too short life, and also in the hope that the passing of time will gradually heal the pain.

Mark Bridger could aid the healing process, of course, but still stubbornly refuses to reveal what he did to the little girl's body, despite fresh pleas from community leaders.

It is a reminder of just how high passions continue to run over the issue, and how that crucial missing link in the timeline hinders the healing process.

We can only hope that today's funeral is a true celebration of April Jones' life which can bring a little more closure and comfort to her emotionally wrought family.

Machynlleth is a town united. And you have a feeling that, whatever the adversity, it always will be.