Published Date: 27 October 2008
A gifted 15-year-old South Yorkshire boy who has not been seen by his family for more than a year will be the first person to feature in a new nationwide milk carton campaign aimed at tracing missing people.
Andrew Gosden ran away from his home in Doncaster on September 14, 2007.

Last month his family and friends gathered in London for a service to mark the anniversary of his disappearance and what his father described as the "final big push to find Andrew".

At the service Kevin Gosden said the baffling disappearance of his son had left a huge gap in his family's life.

The youngster went missing after failing to turn up at school before boarding a train to London with just £200 from his bank account.

Apart from CCTV footage showing him leaving King's Cross station there has been no firm trace of his whereabouts, perplexing police and family alike.

On Monday, Andrew's case is the first of a new set of appeals for vulnerable missing people to appear on milk cartons at the supermarket Iceland.

The firm sells 800,000 cartons of milk a week and is working with the charity Missing People to feature a different appeal each week.

Iceland tried appeals on its cartons on a more limited basis between 1997 and 2006 and of the 130 people featured, 40 were found.

Andrew's mother, Glenys Gosden, said: "Missing People has been hugely important to us at a time when we feel that we are living in limbo. The appeal for Andrew on Iceland's milk cartons is another welcome symbol of hope."

His parents are haunted by the stark, still-frame closed-circuit television footage of their son leaving King’s Cross. In three consecutive shots, Andrew Gosden walks from the concourse towards the railway station exit and emerges on to the pavement.

Small for his age and slim, he is 14 but looks younger, perhaps 12. He is wearing a black T-shirt and jeans and has a black canvas satchel slung over his shoulder.

He has left behind a secure home, a loving family and a glittering array of school prizes. Ahead is London, that great, sprawling, teeming, terrifying city with all its allure and danger. He looks so young, so vulnerable.

“If we never see him again, that’s going to be the last photograph of my son. That’s what really gets you in the guts,” says Andrew’s father, Kevin.

Every year, an estimated 100,000 under-16s are reported missing. The vast majority return safe and well within 72 hours, according to the charity Missing People.

Some are fleeing abuse, bullying or family conflict. Others seek to escape some “low-grade issue they don’t feel they can talk to their families about”. Sometimes, the children are simply seeking an adventure.

Andrew’s case is unusual not merely for the length of time he has been missing, but also because there seems to be not the slightest clue explaining his decision to leave home.

The bare facts are these. At 8am on Friday, September 14, eight days into a school term, Andrew left home — a neat Victorian terrace in Doncaster, South Yorkshire — in school uniform for his short walk to the bus stop. His sister Charlotte, 16, had already set off.

The night before had been a standard evening at home. The family ate together and Andrew played a jigsaw game with his father on their computer before watching some of his favourite television comedies with his mother, Glenys.

On that Friday morning, however, he had no intention of going to school, where he had a 100 per cent attendance record. Instead, he walked to a park and waited until 8.30am, when he knew that his parents — both speech and language therapists — would have left for work.

Andrew then returned home, let himself in with his key and changed out of his uniform, leaving his blazer neatly hanging from the back of a bedroom chair and placing his shirt and trousers in the washing machine.

In T-shirt, jeans and trainers, he walked to a local garage, withdrew £200 from his savings account at a cash machine and headed for the station, where he bought a one-way ticket to London. The woman who sold him the ticket remembers thinking that he looked quite young. She asked him whether he was sure he wanted a single. Andrew was adamant. A passenger on the 9.35am Doncaster-London train recalled sitting opposite a boy matching Andrew’s description exactly. He sat quietly, playing on his portable PlayStation.

When staff at the McAuley Catholic High School, in Doncaster, realised that he had not arrived they phoned the family at once. Critically, the contact list was misread and the numbers phoned were those of a different pupil.

Mr and Mrs Gosden, therefore, did not realise that anything was amiss until late afternoon, when Andrew — known to the family as Roo — did not come home from school.

His uniform was soon found. Andrew is the sort of boy, his father says, “who leaves you a note if he goes to the shop on the corner”. After a few quick phone calls drew a blank, Mr Gosden contacted the police.

Detective Inspector Martin O’Neill heads a team of officers from the South Yorkshire force who are working on the case and have paid several visits to London in search of Andrew.

They did an immediate risk assessment and put Andrew in the highest category because of his age, his perceived vulnerability and his vanishing act being “totally out of character”.

It took only three days to establish that Andrew had arrived in London at 11.20am on the Friday. I

PRESS RELEASE

Issued: 01 September 2008
for Immediate Release

ONE YEAR ON - LET’S NOT FORGET ANDREW GOSDEN, MISSING SINCE 14TH SEPTEMBER 2007

"Forever Searching" are a group who actively raise awareness of missing children, throughout the world. We need your assistance in raising public awareness of an anniversary event for missing Andrew Gosden.

14th September 2008 marks the first anniversary of the disappearance of Andrew Gosden, from Doncaster, South Yorkshire.

To mark this anniversary, on the 14th September, Andrew's family are planning on gathering a large group of people in the centre of London to assist in raising awareness to Andrew and other missing children by handing out leaflets and posters.

The day will include a short ecumenical service held for Andrew and all missing children at 3:30 pm in St. James Church Piccadilly.

The family and Forever Searching are asking for as much support as possible, on this day, in raising the profiles of missing people in the UK.

Coaches will be available on the day, transporting supporters from Doncaster town centre at around 7:30 am, returning at approx. 8:30 pm. This service will be free of charge to all supporters. The family request that all participants consider wearing a yellow t-shirt, as an identifying symbol.

Please support this initiative, the missing deserve to be found. If you would like to assist in this event, please contact Kevin Gosden on Mobile: 07766268778 or 07982836869 or email kevin.gosden@hotmail.co.uk. To secure seating on the coach, contact should be made prior to 20th August. The only cost would be for a London Travel card, which covers travel on the central tubes within London. Contact should still be made even if you prefer to make your own travel arrangements, in order to establish a meeting place in London.

If you are unable to help on the day but wish to make a donation towards the cost of the coaches, this would be greatly appreciated. You can donate by sending a cheque made payable to "Andrew Gosden" to 72 Littlemoor Lane, Balby, Doncaster, DN4 0LB.

Anyone with information on Andrew should contact the NPIA Missing Person’s Bureau on 0808 100 8777 or Missing People on 0500 700 700.


Quotes:
“It really has been quite devastating because it’s such a shock, and we just haven’t got a blueprint to how to handle this kind of situation. There is nothing we cannot put right if you are worried about anything. Please let us know where you are and we can talk about anything.” Andrews mum


WEB LINKS:

Andrew on Bebo: http://www.bebo.com/missingandrew
Andrew on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gi...
You Tube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehWTP...
Forever Searching Website: www.foreversearching.com

**NOTE TO MEDIA: IT WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED IF THIS MISSING PERSON’S RELEASE BE FORWARDED TO YOUR COLLEAGUES IF AT ALL POSSIBLE**

Contact for further information:

Niamh Brennan - Founder Member Forever Searching
Email: tanyaf@foreversearching.com
Telephone: United Kingdom - 0779 275 8295

END