Nicola Bulley: Childhood friends in Essex invited to memorial gathering

The mural of Nicola Bulley is painted at the One Stop shop in Hullbridge Road, South Woodham Ferrers

A memorial gathering in tribute to Nicola Bulley has been arranged in her home town in Essex.

People with memories of Ms Bulley have been invited to the bandstand at Queen Elizabeth II Square in South Woodham Ferrers for 20:00 GMT on Thursday.

The 45-year-old's body was found on Sunday in the River Wyre, close to her home in Lancashire, following a three-week search operation.

A mural of the mother-of-two has also been painted in the Essex town.

Kerry Linehan, who helped arranged the gathering, said: "The community always pulls together at times like this so we are tomorrow night showing our love and paying our respect to the family."

Ms Linehan also encouraged people to donate to a GoFundMe webpage which has so far collected more than £16,000 to support her family.

Nicola Bulley's former secondary school said its "deepest sympathies" were with her family and friends

Jon Morter, who runs a local community Facebook page and has shared news of the gathering, said the mural was "brilliant".

"We are a tight-knit community in South Woodham Ferrers and when things like this happen we always rally around and there is always something that will happen," he said.

In a statement, a spokesman for her former secondary school said: "It is with great sadness that we have learned of the passing of former William de Ferrers student, Nicola Bulley.

"Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with Nicola's family and friends, many of whom are within our own South Woodham Ferrers community."

The mural, painted by local artist Danny Bench, is located at the town's One Stop shop in Hullbridge Road.

In a statement issued earlier this week, her family described Ms Bulley as "the centre of our world".

Lancashire's police and crime commissioner has announced there will be an independent review into the force's handling of the investigation into Ms Bulley's disappearance.