Back from the darkness

It didn't seem appropriate to continue Copleand Crack while the turmoil of the shootings was going on.

tributes: Flowers and tributes left on the taxi rank in Duke Street where Darren Rewcastle died

Light and frothy would have sat uneasily alongside the dreadful news that we have had to run on our website and in our paper for the last few days. But there are, as the Bishop said, some bright lights starting to appear in the darkness. Not least has been the amazing number of messages of love and support from around the world. Thank you for those. There were, predictably, one or two rogue journalists who have not learnt the lessons of Diana and other tragedies and who thought it OK to trample over all and sundry to get their stories. But there were far more who handled the difficult situation with understanding. The TV crews particularly worked with professionalism and discretion. ITV's international editor Bill Neely took time out to write a letter of thanks to the people of Whitehaven and he summed it all up for me when he said: "We've seen the worst that a man can do and now we're seeking the best that man can do." Here's to a return to those happier and more positive times.