Grace Millane’s funeral next week
The funeral for British backpacker Grace Millane will be held in Essex on January 10, more than a month after she died in Auckland.
Millane disappeared on December 1 after being seen in the central city.
Her body was found a week later in the Waita¯ kere Ranges, and a 26-year-old man, who has interim name suppression, has been charged with her murder.
Millane’s brother, Declan Millane, said on social media her funeral service would take place on January 10 at Brentwood Cathedral in Essex.
She will be buried in a private ceremony in a cemetery in the parish of Ramsden Bellhouse.
Declan Millane said the family was planning to create a video montage of his sister, and urged those who knew her to contribute.
‘‘[We] would love if you could share with us any memories you may have of Grace,’’ Declan Millane’s post said.
‘‘Please feel free to send us any photos, videos, or a memory that we could share with everyone and cherish forever.’’
Millane’s death sparked a public outcry in New Zealand, with vigils held all over the country for the advertising graduate and keen artist.
In her hometown, hundreds of people gathered to pay tribute to her. One woman attending that vigil told the BBC Millane’s death had ‘‘ripped the community apart’’.
Also in Essex, two minutes of silence was held in a full Thurrock Council meeting out of respect for the family.
Millane was the granddaughter of former mayor of Thurrock and Chadwell St Mary councillor, Martin Millane, who died in 2000, the Basildon Echo reported.
Before leaving the country with his daughter’s body, David Millane released a statement saying Grace would ‘‘forever be a Kiwi’’, and thanked the New Zealand public and police for their support.
He said his family’s world had been ‘‘turned upside down’’ by her disappearance and death.
‘‘By the amount of pictures and messages we received she clearly loved [New Zealand], its people and the lifestyle,’’ he said.