Charity uses internet in missing children search

Kevin Gosden, the father of Andrew Gosden – who has not been seen since he left his home in Doncaster three years ago –has praised Help Find My Child, a charity which was officially launched yesterday.

Help Find My Child works by enabling the parents of missing children to get their details out to a wider population quickly.

Once a profile is added to its database, the details of that missing child appear on other websites such as Twitter, Facebook, Bebo and MySpace simultaneously, along with updates and a chronicle of events to keep the public's interest.

Mr Gosden, from Balby, said: "Help Find My Child has enabled me to publicise Andrew's missing status to targeted audiences, in a way that is not possible through newspapers, radio and television exposure. They have been such a supportive group to me on a personal and emotional level too. During some of the most painful times, this group has given me the will to go on."

Mr Gosden, his wife Glenys and daughter, Charlotte, have not seen Andrew since he left for McAuley Catholic High School on September 14, 2007.

Andrew, who was then aged 14, failed to arrive at school and instead withdrew 200 from his savings account, with which he bought a one-way train ticket from Doncaster to London.

Despite searches over the last three years, the last confirmed sighting of Andrew is a grainy CCTV image of him leaving Kings Cross railway station that same morning.

The co-founder of Help Find My Child, Kerry Guy, said: "Can you imagine the trauma of having one of your children missing? It's perhaps the worst nightmare any parent can endure.

"It was just unacceptable to us that families were burdened with trying to master technology so their voices would be heard at the same time.

"Time is crucial when a child goes missing. Statistics tell us that those initial hours are vital. Factual information needs to be circulated as quickly as possible.

"We aim to provide the means to do that online for police and family members alike, as many experts believe exposure maximises the chances of a child being located and recovered safely."

Anyone with information about Andrew's whereabouts can call police on 0114 220 2020 or Missing People on 0500 700700.