Kate McCann writes a rare and deeply personal column of support independent’s SafeCall campaign, reflected on the moment her daughter Madeleine went missing and thanked readers for helping fund a new national lifeline for disadvantaged young people.
On May 3, 2007, Kate and Gerry McCann’s lives changed forever when their three-year-old daughter Madeleine went missing in the village of Praia da Luz on the southwestern tip of Portugal.
In one particular intervention, as independentIn a Christmas appeal with charity Missing People, Ms McCann wrote about how life is divided into a “before” and an “after” when a child goes missing, and how the uncertainty that comes with it never goes away.
Kate McCann, whose daughter Madeleine disappeared in 2007, said SafeCall stood for “hope, compassion and the possibility of different endings” (PA)
“I don’t often talk about details, but not because they disappear; they continue to live quietly with you every day. Some experiences never go away—you just learn to carry them,” she wrote.
“Every time I hear a young person feel vulnerable, scared or at risk, it resonates deeply. I recognize the fear, exhaustion and fragile balance between hope and heartbreak that families face every day.
“That’s why the SafeCall service is so important.”
Madeleine’s mother writes how life was divided into ‘before’ and ‘after’ after child’s disappearance (AP)
The SafeCall campaign aims to raise £165,000 to provide free, 24/7 services to the 72,000 British children who go missing every year.
Ms McCann said SafeCall represented “hope, compassion and the possibility of different outcomes” for at-risk young people and those who love them.
In her first newspaper column, Ms McCann praised the McCann family for being further tortured by court proceedings over a woman who stalked them. independent and its readers to help turn compassion into practical action with the launch of SafeCall.
Ms McCann described the new free service as a “safe, confidential lifeline” for young people feeling scared or lost, and said it offered families something equally important: reassurance that someone is listening and ready to help before a crisis escalates.
With support from the public, the service will be expanded so that more children can receive help earlier. It will build on the work of charity Missing People, offering a dedicated helpline, WhatsApp channel, 24-hour chatbot and a redesigned website offering advice.
From left to right: Rachel Elias, sister of Richey Edwards, Nicki Durbin, Kate and Gerry McCann, Zoe Tyler and Kirsten O’Brien at the 2010 Miles for Missing People 10K Fun Run in Hyde Park (PA)
With a young person reported missing every two and a half minutes in the UK, a national lifeline set up next year will provide support, safety and connection to vulnerable children in need.
independentThe campaign to launch the service has the support of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, actor and author Sir Stephen Fry, campaigner Dame Esther Lanzen, former England football captain Sir David Beckham and presenter Lorraine Kelly.
The McCanns were desperate for information after Madeleine disappeared and spoke of their “pain and despair” after living through every parent’s worst nightmare. No one has been charged in connection with Madeleine’s disappearance.
In her column, Ms McCann thanked readers for ensuring that fewer families face the uncertainty she and her family continue to face.