We’ll never give up... prayers for Maddie on 10th anniversary
THE parents of Madeleine McCann vowed to never give up hope of finding their daughter yesterday as they marked the heartbreaking 10th anniversary of her disappearance.
Kate and Gerry McCann led tearful prayers at a special service at their local church to remember missing children.
The couple were joined by relatives and villagers for the poignant gathering after bracing themselves for the painful milestone Kate described as “a horrible marker of stolen time”.
Inside Rothley Parish Church, Leics, photos of Madeleine and other loved ones who have disappeared were displayed with messages attached to yellow ribbons.
One, written by Lily, said: “I pray that Madeleine is found safe wherever she is. And that one day she will return.” Another read: “I pray Madeleine will come back one day.”
The service, led by the Rev Rob Gladstone, began with Cat Stevens’ rendition of Morning Has Broken and included tea lights being lit for the children.
A special assembly was held at Rothley School to pray for Madeleine and other missing children, with new ribbons tied to the Tree of Hope which was planted in 2007.
A service also took place last night in Portugal at the Church of Nossa Senhora in Praia da Luz – the holiday resort where Madeleine vanished on the fateful night of May 3 2007. Former GP Kate, 49, and eminent heart doctor Gerry, 48, have vowed to do “whatever it takes for as long as it takes” to find their daughter who was aged just three when she disappeared.
Yesterday family spokesman Clarence Mitchell said Kate and Gerry “remain hopeful” there will be a major breakthrough leading to their daughter’s safe return.
He said: “They are still determined to go on until they get an answer. They will never give up. There is absolutely no evidence to suggest that she has come to any physical harm.”
In a TV interview he told Lorraine Kelly the couple believe that even after 10 years a kidnapper can be found, saying: “Allegiances change, somebody may say something at some point.”
Last week Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley revealed detectives are chasing up a “critical” line of inquiry. In Portugal yesterday British grandmother Jenny Murat, who lives by the complex where the McCanns were staying, told how she saw a mysterious “woman in purple” loitering outside the family’s apartment on the night the youngster went missing.
It follows reports British police are searching for a woman seen outside the property two hours before Madeleine vanished.