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 Please, if you have any information that could help the police in their search for Andrew please report here
South Yorkshire Police 101 Missing People 116000 Crimestoppers (anonymously) 0800 555 111
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Lose your way, lose your marbles, lose the battle, lose out. Lose the car keys, lose your specs, lose your purse. Lose a friend, lose a loved one, lose your mind, lose your faith. Everyone loses in life, in some way. Some losses are trivial and others can be the most painful thing we will ever experience.  Because we all experience loss, we have some understanding that it may hurt, for a long time, but that the pain of loss will ease. With significant loss, we often need the help and support of family, friends and others to see us through the pain. But the ambiguous loss of a missing family member is very different: without the knowledge of what happened to our loved one, we are unable to heal. It is like that for my family and I. Andrew is still missing. As we reach his 29th birthday, we realise that he has been gone for longer than he was here. The intensity of his not being here with us continues every day, a huge hole in our lives and our family. How to deal with this is something to which no-one has answers. For me, I think the one thing we cannot lose is hope. Hope of re-union, hope of news, hope of an answer of any kind. This year I shall be placing some flowers in my church along with this candle, which is made and sold to support Missing People. It will be lit as a sign that we have not lost hope for Andrew. I hope that it is also a sign for all those struggling with loss of any kind, be it physical, financial, psychological or spiritual.  Perhaps you would join us in lighting a candle for the lost and the missing? A small light of hope that they find their way home. Thank you.
You can support Missing People by purchasing these candles here: https://therecycledcandlecompany.co.uk/pages/missing-people Recent Developments in Andrew's Case Firstly, please accept our apologies for not responding more individually, but we are overwhelmed with messages at the moment.
DI Andy Knowles made us aware of the arrests made in London on December 8th 2021, but we have not shared this because we have no factual information in addition to the Police statement and would not wish to prejudice the investigations being carried out in any way. We understand that Police investigations will take several months to complete, so until that is the case, we do not know what to think and do not wish to speculate on any possible outcome. We cannot add to the information in the public domain, but would like to thank the media, general public and the charity Missing People for their support at this time and over the past years of our search for answers about what happened to Andrew. We have carried the burden of not knowing for many years and recent potential developments represent a more intensified period of this emotional journey for us, so we hope that you understand how difficult this time is for us as a family and wish to thank you for your support and prayers. Kevin  It is very much in our minds this year that Andrew has been missing from our lives for 14 years, the same amount of time that we loved having him with us. I have been reflecting on the difference between those two periods of time and wondering if it is true that “time heals all wounds”. Does it bring any sense of balance to life? For 14 years, we enjoyed a bright, smiling, thoughtful, intelligent, polite boy at the heart of our family life. He was a deep thinker, sparklingly witty, with a wide range of interests he shared with us. It was difficult to fall out with Andrew, even if we agreed to disagree on a topic, as he was so gentle and likeable. And then he vanished. For the past 14 years, we have dealt with mental health issues as a result. We have thought of him and prayed for him daily. We have distributed thousands of leaflets and posters, searched at length in various places, engaged with hundreds of journalists across every type of media to try and find out what has become of our son. For us, time does not heal all wounds. Without any resolution to his whereabouts or fate, it feels as though we can never truly rest, never really move on with our lives in the same way. But we will always be glad to have all those years of happy memories. I recently sat with a cup of coffee on the back door step and was joined by my little Grandson (aged 2) who brought his drink and settled down right beside me. For me, that was a lovely moment, a simple, everyday, comfortable moment of companionship and love. It reminded me of this photo taken in Egypt in 2004. It is, oddly enough, of our backs, but our daughter Charlotte commented that it was a “mini-me” photo as we happened to be similarly dressed that day. I have always liked it as it makes me think of all the times we were together, not even doing much necessarily, or saying much, but just comfortable in our companionship. I miss it. We all miss it. We all miss Andrew, still. There is no equilibrium to be gained as yet at least and we still love him and want to know the answers all this time on.  Thinking about all this, the thing I want to ask you to think about is this: if you have young people in your family, are they aware of the charity Missing People? Do they know there is a free, confidential helpline available on 116000 – and various online methods of making contact too? Going missing is an issue we never thought about with our children, we thought of the rare abduction case that makes the news. It can happen in any family, all the more so if a young person is struggling with issues they perceive at home or school but feel embarrassed to talk about. Whatever a young person is thinking or feeling, no-one will judge them if they need to call. They are there to support you and that is all. Please have that conversation, put the number in phones, just in case. Please.
 On November 18th 2020 I turn 55. I can no longer claim to be in my early 50’s and must accept that I have reached my mid 50’s! What really bothers me though is that I was approaching 42 when Andrew went missing and that I have had so many birthdays without him. My wife Glenys and I celebrated our 30th Wedding Anniversary in August. Andrew’s Grandparents celebrated their Diamond (60th) Anniversary in July. And if we look back over the years, these milestones and special days always seem incomplete without Andrew. Of course, every day is incomplete without him, but these occasions seem to make it more poignant. We do our best to celebrate of course despite these feelings and this year I am pleased to have been purchased a very special pair of socks. Every man needs socks amongst his Christmas or Birthday gifts and this year Missing People have teamed up with The London Sock Company to produce a limited edition of bespoke socks with the profits helping Missing People. So, thanks guys at the London Sock Company.  Here I am wearing my new socks, feeling pleased to have something in common with the uniquely talented Stephen Fry who as a patron of Missing People has recently blogged about his own pair of Missing People socks. Andrew always enjoyed watching or reading anything involving Stephen Fry, appreciating his knowledge and humour and we are grateful to him for his ongoing support of the only UK charity to support missing people and their families. 2020 has been a tough year for the charitable sector overall and Missing People are no exception. So perhaps if you read this you may consider purchasing your own socks as a Christmas Gift for someone. Or making a donation to Missing People, however large or small. Or making a point of sharing some appeals for missing people from their website or those posted on Andrew’s social media accounts. If you can do anything to help, please do. Missing People are literally a lifeline to so many people and I can testify to their unwavering support and help over the past 13 years. Thank you Find the link for The London Sock Company below, just click image  I have recently been making a toy castle for my small grandson. This is how it looks at the moment:  Whilst it is hopefully obvious that I have done a lot of the work, it is also obvious that I am awaiting some supplies to be delivered to complete the job. Fortunately, I have plenty of time as he is a little young for it at the moment. It has reminded me a great deal of Andrew. We have been members of English Heritage for many years and he visited a huge number of castles and so forth as he grew up with us. Andrew and his sister Charlotte shared their 8th & 10th birthdays in 2001 at Conisbrough Castle, where a group of their friends were dressed up as Knights and Ladies, taught some basic defensive skills and enjoyed a picnic banquet. I even made this cake using baked bean tins for baking the towers:
Usually for Andrew’s birthday I give a flower to everyone in my church to take home as a reminder to pray for all missing people and I always find an envelope with cash in it for Missing People whether I have asked or not. Because my church remains closed at present I cannot mark his birthday in this way and instead will light a candle and make a donation to Missing People who help so many young people in particular. If you are reading this, please join me in any or all of those activities, not just for us and Andrew, but for all missing children and their families. If you are able to donate to Missing People, this can be done here using the donate button: https://www.missingpeople.org.uk/ Many thanks if you are able to help in this way at such a tough time for the charitable sector.  As Father’s Day approaches, I have been thinking not only about Andrew, but all the families with missing loved ones, especially children, as it is always a day of additional heartache. In the past week I have spoken with more than one journalist and they asked me to clarify where any information about Andrew, or any other missing child should be reported. It reminds me that whilst I know this now, before Andrew disappeared I probably had little idea. Information about any missing person can be reported to the charity Missing People on 116000, a free, 24/7 helpline. They will ensure that the relevant Police force or agency receives this information. Alternatively, contacting the Police on 101 (also free 24/7) and giving any details or information ensures that the appropriate officers receive this and can act upon it. It is well known that many children and young people go missing as a result of some kind of criminal involvement such as online grooming or “County Lines” drugs rings for example. In Andrew’s case, what made him go missing remains a complete mystery and we have no evidence of any such criminal involvement, but of course have to keep our minds open to that possibility. With this in mind, we would like to make it known that anyone who may have information of this nature can give this information with guaranteed anonymity to CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111. Alternatively, they can use CrimeStoppers simple anonymous online form. Nobody will know you have done this. Your computer and mobile phone IP addresses will not be tracked or saved by CrimeStoppers, whose online anonymous form can be found here https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/forms/pre-form If you have any information about Andrew or any other missing person, please think of the family and friends of that person and share that information via any of the means outlined above. Your information could be a crucial part of enabling a family with a missing loved one to be re-united. Thank you.  Last week, a member of Andrew’s facebook group, Wendy, quite unexpectedly posted a lovely portrait of Andrew.  I happened to have been redecorating the very narrow stairs to our bedroom and included the picture with those I was re-hanging. It is the second one up in this snapshot.  It reminded me of how many people have supported us in so many ways over the years, leafleting, searching, sharing appeals, sending messages of support. The list of things people have done to help search for Andrew and to support us through it all is a long list indeed. I am struck by the fact that most of these wonderful people are not family members, not friends, we have never met them, never asked for help, it has simply been offered and delivered to us out of sheer kindness. Many of these people have supported us unfailingly over a number of years now and it seems impossible to really express our gratitude adequately. So, this blog is just to say thank you to all those who have helped and that continue to support us. We often feel we live in a world full of dangerous and difficult people when we watch the news, but I don’t think so. I think, from experience, that most people are kind, generous and thoughtful above and beyond what anyone could ever ask or expect of them. I am proud to be able to call many of these people my friends. Thank you all.   Around the UK, posters appeal to the public to “Help Find Every Child”. They appear on bus stops, railway stations, in shopping centres, all over the place to the extent that they have become part of the visual fabric surrounding us all. The fact that it is our son’s image most often seen on these is simply because when the charity Missing People approached us about using his image, we said yes. We wondered at the time how it would feel to see them, but knew that we could do no other than support the charity that has helped us so much for so long. It does feel strange when we encounter them, a combination of feeling pleased that we have been able to do something to help the charity and other missing kids alongside the somewhat surreal “Is this really our lives?” feeling. The posters are distributed by advertising firm JC Decaux, who generously donate unrented advertising space to Missing People as part of their work supporting the charitable sector. For us, it has undoubtedly raised Andrew’s profile significantly, but it remains more important to us as a family that it raises awareness of the Missing People helpline and that it encourages people to donate in support of this amazing charity. Without them by our side for the past dozen years, we would undoubtedly have been isolated, lost, confused, frustrated, angry, not knowing where to turn for help. Missing People are an amazing charity. They change lives, not least by supporting those with missing loved ones. They change lives with telephone calls from those thinking of going missing or running away, with those who have done so and find themselves in trouble and they change lives with those kids who go missing but then return and are helped to find a better path for themselves with Missing People’s support. You can donate here > Missing People  I recently posted a snap I took of an old tea towel I found in the bottom of a cupboard, the sort they do in primary schools for special occasions, in this case the Golden Jubilee of the Queen.  It brought back a happy memory, of both our children and of us doing the dishes together. A trivial, everyday thing perhaps, but part of our “talking time” after work and school. It made me recall the evening before Andrew went missing when I gave him a quick hug and said “love you” as we stood in the kitchen armed with our tea towels. I am glad that is one of the last things I ever said to him.  We have some shelves in Andrew’s old room full of photo albums and other family memories and the tea towel prompted me to go and have a browse. One of the things I found was a scrap book he and I made in 1999 when he was 5. It was one of our “Dad’s & Lad’s” times when I took him down to my parents in London and we did a bit of exploring, then made a record of our day each evening. The scans below refer to our visits to the Imperial War Museum and the Horniman Museum and these things are some of the memories I treasure the most; having the one to one time to enjoy ourselves and learn stuff. It reminds me too of how proud I was of him, that handwriting is, I think, pretty good for a 5 year old.    Which made me wonder if handwriting changes significantly over time. Some googling suggests that it can and does but that many people retain their writing style. So, perhaps, if someone knows Andrew but does not know about his past, his handwriting could provide a clue (he was right handed)? So, I scanned a geography exercise book from a couple of months before he vanished in the hope it may jog someone’s mind. It is a long shot perhaps, but as the Bible says, “Love never gives up” and certainly our love for Andrew continues to persevere with our hopes of finding him.  If this is meaningful to you and connects with other clues described in recent blogs, please ring Missing People in confidence on 116000. Calls free, service available 24/7. Thank you.
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