On any other weekend, the men, women and children in the buses bedecked with England flags might have been mistaken for football fans on their way to a match.

The gaggles of mums and dads, sons and daughters, walking along the roadside would have looked quite normal on any other day too -- families in their summer clothes taking a stroll in the baking Sunday sunshine.

Only the flowers in their sparkling cellophane hinted at another purpose for yesterday's procession.

On a day when the tradition for some is to pray for loved-ones in the cool shade of a church, this colourful flock remembered theirs in the glorious sunshine bathing the place where they died.

There was no ceremony and no fuss -- just a quiet gathering to share grief.

It has been one of the saddest weeks in Oxford's history -- but the strength of our city's communities has shone through.