Gerry and Kate McCann hope their blitz on Morocco will provide the breakthrough they have been praying for in their hunt for missing Madeleine. (The Sun)
Despite a massive campaign highlighting the seven-month search for their daughter, experts believe many in the north African country still lack the crucial information they need to help trace her.
Now a silent army of volunteers from the Helping To Find Madeleine campaign have given their time over the festive period to flood businesses across the nation with 11,500 letters and posters.
The initiative comes after the McCanns’ Spanish detective agency pin-pointed Morocco as the most likely place little Maddie may have been taken. And many of the 347 calls sparked by the couple’s pre-Christmas TV appeal pointed to the tot being smuggled there.
The Helping To Find Madeleine campaign – affiliated to the McCanns’ own Find Madeleine Fund – has been working behind the scenes to widen global awareness of the child’s plight.
A spokesman said yesterday: “A lot of work has been focused on Morocco. But although we have spent a lot of time emailing and making contacts in the country, it has become apparent that there are still a lot of people who do not have Madeleine’s picture or the phone contact details to report sightings. We identified over 11,500 postal addresses to send a letter written in French and a poster written in Arabic. The majority are pharmacies, doctors, schools, farmers, vets, churches, hotels, companies, food stores and restaurants. This includes areas all over Morocco, including very remote areas in the North and South. These have very few facilities so farmers, churches, mosques and pharmacies are the central theme to target.”
A friend of the McCanns, both 39-year-old doctors from Rothley, Leics, said last night: “Kate and Gerry are really touched that people have given up time over Christmas to help them. It’s given them a tremendous boost to know they have so much support.”
Family spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: “Anyone who puts effort into assisting us in any way, we are incredibly grateful for. They’ve done a fantastic job. I’ve no doubt it is this kind of effort that will lead us to finding Madeleine.”
Gerry and Kate McCann hope their blitz on