The mother of Madeleine McCann joined friends and well wishers tonight to remember her daughter on the 12th anniversary of her disappearance, as Portuguese police revealed they could be closing in on her kidnapper.
Kate McCann and her twins were warmly welcomed during a poignant prayer service in their home village of Rothley, Leicestershire, while her heart doctor husband Gerry was busy working in Italy.
A visibly emotional Mrs McCann, 51, was ‘overwhelmed’ by the support as she joined in prayers and readings to mark the occasion – the first anniversary without Gerry by her side.
Kate McCann, 51, was overcome with emotion as she attended a church service to mark the 12th anniversary of daughter Madeline’s disappearance
Her uncle Brian Kennedy said before the half hour service that the family ‘still had hope even after all these years’.
The retired head teacher, 80, declined to discuss detectives’ potential new leads which they have yet to be informed about, saying: ‘We’re just grateful that police are still searching. It gives us hope.’
Mrs McCann, wearing a purple puffa jacket and black jeans and with her hair freshly highlighted and trimmed, fought back tears during as children, including her 14-year-old twins Sean and Amelie, lit candles for Maddie and other lost youngsters.
The gathering had been due to take place at the war memorial in the McCann’s home village of Rothley, Leicestershire, where a candle burns around the clock as a beacon of hope for the world’s most famous missing child.
An emotional Kate McCann is greeted by her Uncle Brian Kennedy as she arrives for the service today
The service for Madeleine and other missing children was held in the Rothley Baptist Church which was standing room only
But it was moved into the nearby local Baptist Church to avoid expected rains showers.
Vicar the Rev. Rob Gladstone, who led the prayers, opened the service by saying: ‘A warm and a very dry welcome. Even after twelve years of hoping and praying we trust that God has not abandoned us or Madeleine. We come together again to show our support for Kate and Gerry, for other parents of missing children and young people, to help keep alive the tune of hope which persists through all the storms and sorrows.’
Mrs McCann chose not to say any words publicly – her husband normally addresses the anniversary well wishers – but she later thanked the near 100-strong crowd individually for their continued support.
Brian – Mrs McCann’s uncle – said: ‘We are all very grateful to those who turned out this evening in less than pleasant conditions. It means a lot to us that people are still willing to support us.’
Madeleine went while on holiday in Praia da Luz on the evening of the May 3, 2007. Pictured is an age progression image
He told how eminent cardiologist Gerry would be remembering his daughter during his hectic business trip to Milan.
During the service touching messages of support were read out by school friends of Maddie’s younger twin siblings. They joined locals placing name tags of missing people on a vine tree of hope, including Claudia Lawrence and Ben Needham.
A schoolboy paid tribute to British and Portuguese police hunting for Maddie’s abductor, saying: ‘We pray for the team of women and men who still searching for Madeleine. Guide them as they work hard to find the truth.’
Three-year-old Maddie vanished from a holiday apartment in Portugal’s Praia da Luz in May 2007. She was discovered missing from her bed in a seaside complex apartment by her horrified mum shortly after 10pm. She had been left alone her younger siblings while her parents were dining in a nearby tapas restaurant with their seven pals.
Children light candled by the memorial for missing children in Rothley village following the service
Gerry McCann was away at a conference in Milan so was not able to attend the memorial for Madeleine
Kate and Gerry McCann (pictured above) have vowed to continue to look for their daughter Madeleine, who went missing in 2007
Portuguese officers, believed to be acting on a tip off from Scotland Yard, say a sex fiend who speaks English and wears a surgical mask could have snatched Maddie from her room.
Mr and Mrs McCann cling onto a glimmer of hope that Maddie – who would turn 16 in nine days – could still be alive.
In a new posting on the official Find Maddie campaign website they vowed to carry on looking for their daughter ‘for as long as it takes’.
They told of their ‘comfort and reassurance’ that the police hunt to find her continues. In message to mark the latest harrowing milestone which they wish they could ‘fast forward’ they share their heartache that Maddie would soon be celebrating her sixteenth birthday.
They wrote: ‘It’s that time of year again. As much as we’d like to fast forward the first couple of weeks of May, there’s no getting around it.’
Mrs McCann’s mother Susan Healy was at a prayer service in her home city of Liverpool.