It was a tragedy which shook the world. On 1 October 2012, the disappearance of five-year-old April Jones from the mid Wales town of Machynlleth sparked an almost unprecedented wave of concern. Within Wales the event drew people of all ages and backgrounds in their hundreds to help in the search. Further afield social media websites spread the story worldwide and in turn brought messages of hope and support to those directly involved. It demonstrated a community response on an international scale. Today Mark Bridger is serving a life sentence for the horrific murder of April Jones but this book is not about the details of that extreme act of cruelty, it is about the various acts of kindness from within the town and from far outside it. This is book tells the unfolding narrative of April's story over the twelve months since she was taken from her home and her home town, in the words of the people who live there and with the support of April's family. But more than the telling of the tragic events, it tells the story of how people pull together in extreme circumstances; how in today's technological world, community is not about geography alone. It's about strangers coming together. It is a story about hope and humanity. Proceeds from the book will go to the April Jones Fund. The fund set up to aid the search for the missing five-year-old will be divided between local charities, schools, and search and rescue organisations.

On 1st October 2012, April Jones, aged 5, was abducted from outside her home in the small Welsh market town of Machynlleth. This led to the largest police search operation of its kind ever conducted in the UK, and a subsequent murder investigation and trial which was scrutinised by the international media. This book uses a collaborative narrative research process to explore the lived experiences of one specific group of community members who responded to this event by setting up, and running, a therapeutic project to support the community between 2012 and 2014. The author weaves together threads of the story taken from her own ethnographic journal, and co-researcher accounts, together with community updates taken from press releases and academic theory, to create an evocative narrative account that will enable readers to understand what it may be like to be involved in a therapeutic project of this kind. The book highlights some of the challenges and offers suggestions for community leaders, therapeutic practitioners and critical incident planners who may be considering setting up support in response to community trauma.

"The Cullman Democrat was established about 25 years after the first newspaper to publish in the town named for the famous German settler, John G. Cullman. While it came relatively late on the scene, its circulation soon grew to match that of the most successful Alabama weekly newspapers. The Democrat was first published by Major W.F. Palmer in June of 1901. Palmer sold the paper to R.L. and J.E. Griffin in 1902, but by the end of January of 1903, the paper was purchased by Joseph Robert Rosson. The Democrat remained in control of the Rosson family for man years after."--Publisher's description