THE simple release of 20 balloons and 20 doves marked the moment that 20 years ago Warrington - and the wider world - changed forever.

Standing among a 1,000 strong crowd of victims, bereaved, dignitaries, VIPs, and those who just wanted to pay their respects, was a humbling experience.

Twenty years on, emotions were high.

The service was aimed to commemorate and celebrate and the tone was struck perfectly by organisers.

We could remember the loss of Tim Parry, Johnathan Ball and Bronwen Vickers, but also celebrate the role the town has played in helping the peace process in Northern Ireland.

Standing on Bridge Street, it was impossible to not think back to that day two decades ago when terrorists intent on killing placed two bombs in two bins in a packed shopping street.

As Colin Parry, Tim’s dad, so eloquently stated, they succeeded in killing - but in doing so, ended almost all support for their cause.

To be there again on Saturday was an incredibly powerful experience.

Because the bombings have affected everyone in Warrington - either directly or indirectly.

Everyone remembers where they or their loved ones were, what they were doing on that day or the ones that followed.

Everyone has walked past that spot and been in that street at that time both before and after.

And everyone is united in disbelief that Warrington was the target.

Now in 2013, everyone can also be united in celebrating the role our town has played in ensuring there is never another Warrington and that two innocent children and one mother are never again robbed of life.

So amid all the feelings and emotion of Saturday lunchtime, perhaps one was overriding.

A sense of pride that 20 years on from one of the darkest days in the town’s history, we can celebrate and mark a brighter future.