April Jones: Wales football team to wear pink ribbons

April Jones was last seen outside her home in Machynlleth, Powys, on 1 October

The Wales football team will wear pink ribbons in support of missing five-year-old April Jones ahead of a World Cup qualifier against Scotland.

They will be pinned to the players' tracksuits during the anthems at Cardiff City Stadium on Friday.

April, from Machynlleth, Powys, has been missing since 1 October and pink is said to be her favourite colour.

Meanwhile, a fund set up in her name has raised nearly £20,000, with donations from as far afield as the US.

Mark Bridger of Machynlleth is charged with murder, abduction and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

The 46-year-old appeared at Caernarfon Crown Court on Wednesday via video link and was remanded in custody.

On the same day, April's parents visited the specialist police search base at Y Plas community hall in Machynlleth to thank those searching for their daughter.

Wales manager Chris Coleman will also wear a ribbon throughout Friday night's game in Cardiff, while the Scottish players are expected to do the same.

Machynlleth has been draped in pink since April's mother launched a pink ribbon appeal to support the search for her daughter.

To mark the week since her disappearance her parents released a sky lantern on Monday evening while others in the town released pink balloons.

In Blackpool, the seaside tower was also lit up in pink.

Meanwhile, a fund set up by Machynlleth Town Council a few days after April went missing has raised nearly £20,000.

It is unclear what the money will be used for, but it will be for April's family to decide how it is spent, says the council.

Town council secretary Izzy Lumley said: "We've received over £19,000 and donations are coming in from all over the place.

"People have also turned up here from all over Wales to donate money.

"Yesterday, we had a party of taxi drivers from Dublin and they donated £300. We seem to think they donated their tips.

Search teams

"Search and rescue teams, who have already done an enormous amount, have also donated money."

She said £600 had come from a cake stall in nearby Newtown, while a similar amount had been raised by charity event in Cardigan.

"We've had money from all over the UK and a church in the United States has also donated," Ms Lumley said.

She added that the largest couple of one-off donations had amounted to about £1,000 each and were given anonymously.

April's disappearance sparked a huge police and community response which has included hundreds of trained and voluntary search teams.

The search is on-going.

However, the Search and Rescue Dog Association in Wales said its volunteers had called a halt to their search. The organisation thanked people in Machynlleth for their help.