Almost £61,000 raised to help in Machynlleth search for missing April Jones
A fund set up to support the search for missing April Jones has raised just under £61,000, with donations coming in from all over the country.
The fund was established to help support the search for the five-year-old, who went missing on October 1.
She was last seen playing outside her home in the Bryn y Gog estate in Machynlleth at around 7pm.
Councillor Michael Williams, from Machynlleth, said: "The fund is around £61,000 at the moment.
"People have been extremely generous and it has been a tremendous showing of the strength of people in the local community and much, much further afield. It does bring it home how strong the feelings of people are."
Trustees have now been appointed for the fund. They include the Reverend Kathleen Rogers as chairman, Julie Humphreys as treasurer and Mandy Pilcher as secretary.
Anyone wanting to contact them can e-mail aprilsfund.machynlleth@ gmail.com
Mark Bridger, 47, has denied three charges, including her murder and abduction. He is due to go on trial on February 25.
The defendant also denies a charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice, which refers to the unlawful disposal and concealment of a body.
Bridger's barrister told the plea and management hearing that he is expected to say he was probably responsible for her death but did not murder her.
Fundraising activities for April's fund included a charity auction in Machynlleth in November which raised more than £4,000 boosted by donations of shoes from actress Catherine Zeta Jones and a diamante-studded denim jacket from singer Bonnie Tyler.
April's disappearance sparked one of the largest police searches in UK history. Dyfed-Powys Police still have 16 teams involved in the search operation.
