Jump directly to the content
MADDIE'S BIRTHDAY MESSAGE

Madeleine McCann’s parents Kate and Gerry tell missing daughter ‘we’re still waiting…we’ll never give up’ in poignant 15th birthday tribute

THE parents of Madeleine McCann posted a poignant tribute to mark their daughter’s 15th birthday - telling her: “We love you and we’re waiting for you and we’re never going to give up.”

Kate and Gerry last night wrote “Happy 15th Birthday Madeleine!” on the official Find Maddie Campaign Facebook page.

 Kate and Gerry at a service to mark the 11th anniversary of her disappearance
5
Kate and Gerry at a service to mark the 11th anniversary of her disappearanceCredit: SWNS:South West News Service

The message accompanies a cherished last photo of her as a three-year-old, smiling under a wide-brimmed sun hat and is posted alongside a green and yellow ribbon symbolising hope, strength and solidarity.

Their gesture comes after it was revealed Kate had laid presents in Maddie’s bedroom, hoping one day she will be back home to open them.

The brave mum, who says “hope and perseverance remain”, has carefully chosen gifts to reflect the teen's age.

She placed them, along with cards and messages of support, in Maddie's bedroom which remains unchanged since she vanished during a family holiday in Portugal 11 years ago.

 Maddie disappeared 11 years ago - while on holiday with her family
5
Maddie disappeared 11 years ago - while on holiday with her familyCredit: PA:Press Association
 Her parents have kept up a continual search for her and hope that one day she will be found
5
Her parents have kept up a continual search for her and hope that one day she will be foundCredit: PA:Press Association

Maddie’s great uncle Brian Kennedy said: “It would be lovely to have a celebration one day. We never lose hope.”

Kate, 50, previously said: “I do all the present buying. I think about what age she is and buy something that, whenever we find her, will still be appropriate so there’s a lot of thought goes into it.”

She referred to the birthday of her eldest child as a "difficult time because that’s when you really feel her absence.”

 The apartment block in Luz in the Algarve, Portugal, where Maddie went missing
5
The apartment block in Luz in the Algarve, Portugal, where Maddie went missingCredit: PA:Press Association
 Her parents have been searching for her for 11 years
5
Her parents have been searching for her for 11 yearsCredit: Reuters

Ex-GP and eminent heart doctor husband Gerry, 49, also prayed for their daughter's safe return during a low key family “party” at home, along with 13-year-old twins Sean and Amelie.

A family pal said: “It’s a poignant time for the family coming just days after the 11th anniversary but they remain hopeful and vow to never to give up the search.”

During the outdoor service in their home village of Rotheley, Leics, to mark the anniversary, Kate read a poem called The Contradiction to remember Maddie with haunting words: “I trace your steps, I map your face. You’re all I know and so unknown. I cannot hold you, yet I do.”

Kate and Gerry McCann arrive at church for a service to mark the 10th anniversary since Maddie vanished
Gerry and Kate McCann say 'there is still hope that we can find Madeleine'

Kate, who is now a part time medical worker, still spends precious moments each day in Maddie’s bedroom which she reveals has “shocking pink walls and stars on the ceiling” and where her dolls and teddies are on display, along with an ever growing number of presents.
She told the BBC: “Everything’s the same and there are photographs all around the house. Whether it be a birthday, family occasion or even an achievement that is when you really feel her absence.”

She also told in her mind’s eye how she jumps from seeing her eldest child as she was when she was kidnapped to envisaging her as she would be now.

Maddie was kidnapped after being left sleeping alone with her twin siblings at their holiday apartment in the Algarve’s Praia da Luz.

At the time her parents were dining with pals at a nearby resort tapas restaurant.

She was discovered missing from her bed in the rented flat by her horrified mum shortly after 10pm.

Detectives believe she was stolen by child traffickers, sex fiends or during a burglary gone wrong.

Scotland Yard are still chasing “a final line of inquiry” and have been given extra £154,000 funding to keep their Operation Grange investigation going until the end of September.


We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368. You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.


Topics