After 13 long years, the family of murdered Bradford on Avon woman Melanie Hall will finally have the chance to say their goodbyes at a funeral service to be held next month.

Hundreds of people who have been touched by the tragic story of Miss Hall’s death are expected to gather to pay their respects at the service, which will be held at Bath Abbey on December 11 at 2.30pm.

Melanie’s father, Steve Hall, 65, of Leigh Grove, Bradford Leigh, said the service was open to all.

“We expect a lot of people because it has been high profile,” he said.

“Everyone is welcome, because it is really a service to say goodbye to Melanie and to thank everyone for their support over the last 13 years and particularly over the last few weeks.

“People have been amazing and we have taken great strength from that.”

The psychology graduate, who was 25, went missing after a night out at Cadillac’s nightclub in Walcot Street, Bath on June 9, 1996, sparking an intense police investigation and repeated public appeals on the BBC’s Crimewatch.

Despite the high profile search for Melanie, she was not found until 13 years later on Monday, October 5, when her remains were discovered in a black bag, bound by blue rope, by workmen on the M5 slip road near junction 14.

Melanie’s older sister Dominique, Mr Hall and Reverend Alison Fry from Batheaston, the village where Melanie was christened, are among the people who will be giving readings at the ceremony.

“The funeral is something that is important to Pat (Melanie’s mother),” Mr Hall said.

“It is something that she wanted to do.

“We both feel that we have Melanie back now with us and we feel that is very important.

“It’s obviously been a difficult time and we are both quite tired really. We’ve kept working hard, but it’s obviously not been easy.”

As the Christmas holidays approach, Mr and Mrs Hall hope to celebrate the festivities together with their family, including grandchildren Charlotte, Jessica and Ellie, and Melanie’s grandmother Dorothy, while keeping their youngest daughter in their thoughts, as they always have done.

Mr Hall said: “We still will have a family Christmas as usual. It’s bound to be a bit difficult, but we will try and make it as normal as possible.”

With Melanie’s body now found, the hunt for her murderer intensifies. The Hall family are due to meet with police in Bath next month to discuss the latest details of the case.

The family have requested family flowers only at the service, but donations can be made instead to the Forever Friends’ Space to Grow campaign, raising money for the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit at the Royal United Hospital in Bath, where Miss Hall worked at the time of her disappearance.

Anyone with information about the murder case is asked to contact the incident room on 01179 455811 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.