Villagers in Ombersley, near Droitwich, were shocked when the body of a French student was discovered in a layby in 1996.

Celine Figard, aged 19, had last been seen accepting a lift at a motorway service station while travelling to spend Christmas with her cousin at a Hampshire hotel.

The investigation received extensive news coverage amid speculation Celine’s murder may be linked to a series of killings, the work of a “Midlands Ripper”. It involved the UK’s first national DNA screening programme, covering over 5,000 people.

Lorry driver Stuart Morgan was eventually arrested and convicted and is serving a life sentence.

 The Ombersley community paid for a memorial garden in the grounds of St Andrew’s Parish Church. Celine’s parents travelled to the village to dedicate the garden to her memory.

Designed by a local garden centre it flowers every February with white daffodils, narcissi and wild flowering bulbs. Many of the flowers and plants originate from France.

From this corner of the churchyard you get a good view of Ombersley Court, the former family seat of the Sandys family.

Many of the former lords of the manor are buried in the family mausoleum, a gothic structure that dominates the churchyard.