Vicar of Soham's reflections: Full text

Rev Tim Alban Jones said "goodness is stronger than evil"

This is the full text of the piece written by the vicar of St Andrew's Church in Soham, Reverend Tim Alban Jones, to mark the first anniversary of the disappearance of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman:

It seems hard to believe that a year has passed since the events of last August that brought Soham into the spotlight of the national media.

"In some ways the time has gone quickly, yet in many ways each week and month seems to have been unnaturally long.

"Throughout the intervening months we have all been constantly aware of the needs of two grieving families. As anyone who has been bereaved will tell you, for those who grieve, time can pass very slowly indeed.

"It was perhaps naive to think the attentions of the press would lessen with the passage of time. The intensity of media coverage that last summer's tragedy generated has guaranteed that people have not forgotten Holly and Jessica and they have not forgotten the town of Soham.

"Not a week goes by without someone writing or contacting me to tell me they are still thinking about the families and about what happened last year.

"People from all over the country and abroad are clearly still very deeply moved and touched by all that went on in Soham. Very often their letters and cards contain poems or small gifts to pass on to the families.

On the surface, it has been a case of business as usual, but an outsider would not have to probe too deeply to discover that the scars of last August run deep

"These in themselves show the time and emotional energy people have spent thinking about all that the word 'Soham' has come to mean.

"Up until last August when you told people that you lived in Soham they would accept the information with a mixture of polite disinterest and blank incomprehension.

"Even when you explained that it was a small town with a population of about 9,000 half way between Ely and Newmarket, you could see that people weren't really taking it in.

"Since the tragic events of the summer that are all too well-known, we residents of Soham find that we don't need to explain where our town is any more. In fact, we often find ourselves being deliberately vague when people ask where we come from.

"Most of the usual fixtures in the annual calendar have taken place pretty much as normal. The cycle of the seasons has been unaffected; Christmas was followed by Lent and Easter.

"The annual Pumpkin Fair took place last September and the Carnival this year attracted a slightly larger than usual crowd. The school terms began and started as planned and another academic year has finished.

Holly and Jessica vanished on 4 August last year

"There have been highs and lows throughout the year. To a casual observer, it might have seemed as if there was nothing out of the ordinary and nothing amiss.

"For those of us who live here, however, things are different. On the surface, it has been a case of business as usual, but an outsider would not have to probe too deeply to discover that the scars of last August run deep.

"In some cases, those scars are still raw. We are all very aware that the process of healing is not over yet, and cannot be completed for some time to come.

"Some people have asked me what is the thing that strikes me most when looking back over the past twelve months.

"There are a few moments that perhaps stand out in my memory, but throughout the whole year we have witnessed countless deeds of kindness.

"There have been innumerable people who have responded with outstanding compassion, love and generous good-will. All these many deeds of kindness and thoughtfulness show that love is stronger than hatred.

"Ultimately, goodness is stronger than evil."