Yesterday was a day none of us wanted in our city. But it was also a day that Nottingham came together as one city, united in grief and resolve to reject hatred and violence and to mourn the loss of three lives so senselessly taken in our streets.

Nobody who attended last night?s vigil in Old Market Square will ever forget the courage and strength of the families of Barnaby Webber, Grace O?Malley-Kumar and Ian Coates, finding the words to remember their loved ones, while expressing love for Nottingham and its extraordinary harmony and urging everyone to remember to look after each other and that love always wins.

It was moving and humbling to see a crowd of around 5,000 local people fill our square to show their solidarity with the bereaved, those injured in Tuesday?s attacks and showing everyone that Nottingham is a place of love, tolerance and hope.???

I want to thank the people of Nottingham for your support and solidarity this week, and for coming together last night ? let?s continue to care for each other in the days to come.

We heard from the families of Ian, Barnaby and Grace, in extraordinarily moving speeches. None who listened felt they would have had the strength to do the same in such terrible circumstances.

I was particularly struck by the words of Barnaby?s mum Emma, when talking about the person responsible for these deaths: ?He is just a person. Please hold no hate that relates to any colour, sex or religion.? Grace?s mum Sinead also urged everyone to "Look after each other, don't have hate in your hearts.? And Ian?s son James paid a touching tribute to a father who had ?touched a lot of hearts over the years - more than we thought he had, so it's heartening to see the messages and see people come out and talk about how it helped them.?

Local community and faith leaders made powerful contributions at the vigil. The umbrella group representing them, said: ?We mourn the loss of three lives, extinguished too soon, but in the face of this tragedy, we must not allow hatred and division to define us. We reject any attempts to sow seeds of discord and animosity among us. Violence has no place in our communities.

?Instead, we choose love, compassion and understanding as our guiding principles. Nottingham will come together as one, to support and comfort those who have been affected and to prevent such senseless acts of violence from tearing apart our city.?

Professor Shearer West, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nottingham, where Barnaby and Grace were first year students, said: ?The people of Nottingham know that this is not what our city is about, and we will not let this one random act of violence define who we are and what we stand for. Today, our communities are united in grief but will draw upon the enormous strength of our citizens and their pride in their city as we come together to recover and heal.? And Ross Middleton, head teacher of Huntingdon Academy where Mr Coates worked, said he was "full of fun with a mischievous glint in his eye" and put huge effort into students' welfare.

People left traumatised by the horrific killings of three people in Nottingham are being urged to contact a free local support service.

Nottinghamshire Victim CARE offers people the chance to speak to a trained victim support professional who can provide a range of practical and emotional support. There are people standing by to take calls now.

The service, which also provides advocacy for victims of crime, is commissioned by the Nottinghamshire Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.

Nottinghamshire Victim CARE can be contacted on 0800 304 7575 or www.nottsvictimcare.org.uk.?? The helpline is open Monday to Friday, from 8am to 8pm and Saturday from 9am until 5pm. To talk to someone outside of these hours call the national Victim Support helpline on 0808 168 9111.

Earlier this week it was the sixth anniversary of the Grenfell disaster. As a city reeling from terrible loss and tragedy, our hearts go out to the families of the victims and we stand with them in their grief and desire for justice.