‘Come home now’
Nicola Bulley’s partner left a touching message on a yellow ribbon on the bridge near the river where the mum-of-two went missing more than two weeks ago.
Paul Ansell was one of the first to attach a brightly-coloured bow to the Lancashire bridge on Sunday night, with many others following suit.
Nicola was last seen walking her cocker spaniel along the River Wyre, Lancashire, at 9.10am on January 27, having earlier dropped her daughters, aged six and nine, at school. Lancashire Police’s “main working hypothesis” is that she accidentally fell into the river, but no trace has been found of her.
Last week Paul said “nothing had been different” the morning of the 45-year-old’s disappearance, telling Channel 5’s Dan Walker that when his partner of 12 years drops the kids off, he usually gets an “hour to myself” and makes a cup of tea.
When it got to 10.30am and Nicola still wasn’t home, Paul started to panic, telling Channel 5: “I got hit by that weird, it’s like your world just drops out because you know something weird has happened. I got in the car, drove down there, ran down the river to where the bench is… someone had willow, there were a few other dog walkers, handed me Willow, handed me Nikki’s phone.”
Nicola’s neighbour, Charlotte Drake, told Metro on Sunday that Paul “does not want to break down on camera in view of millions of people watching and where his kids may see it.”
She said: “He has to remain strong as he has to hold on to hope we will find Nikki.”
Photos from the event on Sunday show Paul surrounded by family and friends as he writes on the ribbon.
It read: “Nikki I love you! XXXXX. Come home now!”
Nicola’s friends and family also changed their profile pictures on Facebook to a snap with a yellow border.
The photo is a shot of Paul and the couple’s daughters and dog, Willow, with the border ‘Bring Nikki Home’.
Nicola’s friend Emma White the move is an attempt to “turn Facebook yellow”.
She wrote: “Thank you for all the kind words, prayers and thoughts to Nikki’s family and friends.
“The search is still ongoing for that vital piece of information to find Nikki.
“What we do have is love and strength driven from the hope, please share the love and #BringNikkiHome – turning Facebook yellow.”
The Facebook campaign comes after a witness has come forward saying they saw two men acting suspiciously close to where Nicola went missing as she walked her dog.
Police are said to have taken further CCTV footage from a garage close to the spot the mum-of-two was last seen in St Michael’s on Wyre.
The reports also comes as police stepped up their hunt following reports of a “shabby” red van seen near where she went missing.
Related links:
- Nicola Bulley’s friends urge police to search ‘abandoned house’
- Diving expert looking for Nicola Bulley pulls out of search, saying she’s not where police think she is
- Expert team end search for Nicola Bulley declaring she’s not in the water
- Police do not believe Nicola Bulley was a victim of a crime
