PRAYERS have been said for a 21-year-old man from Ipswich who is missing after the London bombings. Trevor and Beverley Ellery, from Southampton, were last night still waiting for news of their son, Richard, who has not been in contact with them since 8.

PRAYERS were said yesterday for a 21-year-old man from Ipswich who is missing after the London bombings.

Trevor and Beverley Ellery, from Southampton, were last night still waiting for news of their son, Richard, who has not been in contact with them since 8.30am on Thursday.

Yesterday, at the start of family service in St Winifred's Church in Totton, where Mr Ellery is a reader, the Rev Mark Prevett, told a large congregation: "When one hurts we all hurt – that's what it means to be part of this family."

He said he hoped each member of the congregation would have the Ellery family in their hearts and added: "I hope you will be praying for Richard as well, because we have no news.

"I know that as we try to do this service we have to lift our spirits and that is not easy. God is good all the time. It doesn't feel like it this morning, does it?

"God is trying to turn this incident into a better thing. God has the power to do that. We have to have the hope in our hearts that we can be part of turning this event into something positive."

The minister had accompanied Mr Ellery and Richard's brother Tim, 19, on a trip to London on Friday in the hope of finding Richard.

Southampton-born Richard had been living in Ipswich with friends and for a couple of months and had been working at the town's Jessops camera shop.

He had gone to London for a training course at the store's Kensington branch on Thursday but never turned up. Mr and Mrs Ellery did not attend yesterday's church service and were too upset to talk last night.