Hundreds of people took to social media last night to share photos of candles they had lit to mark the three week anniversary of Nicola Bulley's disappearance.
The mum of two, 45, vanished without a trace from St Michael's on Wyre on January 27, after Nicola had dropped her two children off at school and took her dog Willow for a walk.
Her phone was later found on a bench near the River Wyre, with 'bone dry' Willow running loose nearby.
Read more: Police identify body pulled from River Wyre as missing mum Nicola Bulley
Three weeks on, police have still not managed to find the mortgage advisor, despite help from expert search teams and the widespread community. Shortly after Nicola's disappearance, the internet community created a Facebook page titled 'Supporting the finding of Nicola Bulley' - which at the time of writing has over 32,000 members.
The 'about' section of the page reads: "This is an unofficial group not being ran by friends or family, but we can be supportive towards the search and continue to spread awareness of Nicola Bulley still missing. Please be kind and respectful as friends and family may read these comments."
And last night, admins of the page asked followers to take a moment to light a candle for Nicola at 8pm - as a sign of respect as the search for her marked its third week. And hundreds obliged to the request when the time came, with admins being completely took back by the support of the group.
In a post, they wrote: "Wow...Hundreds of you came together this evening to light a candle for Nicola, whether that be physically lighting a candle or virtually by sending one through Facebook. You know that saying 'A picture is worth a thousand words'....
"Well I think collage speaks for itself. It's so sad to think that three weeks ago Nicola disappeared. With Paul, Children and family and friends still with no answers as to what happened to her. But there is still hope and we need to stay positive.
"Ideas like the candle lighting was suggested by one of you. So if you have any ideas of anything you would like to see on this group please let us know in the comments or message this page and we will get back to you."
The page accompanied the post with a collage of photos of lit candles, as a mark of unity with Nicola and her friends and family. And people took to the comments section to quickly praise the initiative, with one writing: "Wow, super!"
Another added: "I think it's nice to let Nicola know if she can see this that we all just want her to come home and that's all that matters. We just want her to be safe," while a third, commented: "Thinking of you Nicola, wherever you are."
Read next:
- Nicola Bulley: Live updates as search expert makes U-turn over missing mum
- Nicola Bulley's final three conversations before missing mum vanished shared by police
- Nicola Bulley latest as police say there is still 'no evidence' of third-party involvement
- Nicola Bulley's sister makes urgent plea as widespread search for missing mum continues
- Nicola Bulley: Former DCI says seven key questions must be answered
