Home for Christmas? Help us be there for those who aren’t.

Someone is reported missing every 90 seconds in the UK. That means life is lonely, scary and uncertain for 170,000 families every year.

Right now, people are searching for children, fearing for their safety. Searching too for mums, dads, siblings and grandparents who suddenly feel very vulnerable.

For them, this Christmas will be tough.

But with donations we can be there for the missing and those who love them. There for a long as it takes. There at Christmas.

Why monthly donations are important

The search for someone can be a long, painful journey. For some people it will be weeks, months, even years. But your monthly gift will help us be there for the long haul, however long it takes.

One Minute Brief of the Day:

Create posters and videos to promote @MissingPeople’s Winter Appeal to families, asking members of the public to donate in support of families like Kevin Gosden.

Tweet your entries to @OneMinuteBriefs & @MissingPeople with the hashtag #MissingPeople

Remember to include your Twitter handle in the top left-hand corner of your submissions. Enter as many times as you like. Deadline 6pm GMT.

You can also share your entries via stories and posts to @MissingPeople.uk on Instagram!

WINNER: Missing People merch + the opportunity to have your idea shown on social ads nationwide.

Key statistics and figures:

Someone is reported missing every 90 seconds in the UK
Almost 170,000 people are reported missing every year
There are 320,000 reported missing incidents every year
Of the 170,000 people reported missing nearly 97,000 are adults and more than 70,000 are children
Missing incidents: of the 320,000 reported incidents, more than 130,000 incidents are adults and almost 190,000 incidents are children
Looked after children are at high risk of being reported missing. 1 in 10 looked after children are reported missing compared to 1 in 200 children. Looked after children who are reported missing will be reported on average 6 times

Most of the people who are reported missing may be experiencing some kind of vulnerability or risk. This can be exacerbated by being missing, particularly where someone goes missing more than once.

Kevin Gosden

“This year marks 17 years since Andrew went missing. Each Christmas is so tough without him.

I think Andrew was 10 or 11 when he read somewhere that if you planted an acorn, roots would form and eventually it would grow into an oak tree. At the time, I picked up half a dozen acorns and popped them into a tub of compost. They grew. Those oak trees are now an important reminder to me of Andrew.

Almost every day since he disappeared, I’ve struggled. No matter how many years pass by without him, we all still miss him intensely. Every single day.

But thankfully, the charity Missing People have tirelessly been there for us. From the first days and through many years. There for us as they are, for so many other loved ones – and the missed.

My hope is that no other family ever experiences a loved one going. And for those who do, I hope that the pain can fade sooner – their loved one is found. For us, and for you, Missing People is there. And with your help they can keep on being there.

There’s a saying that from tiny acorns a mighty oak may grow. And with your donation, Missing People can be there for the missed and those who love them, every day. There for as long as it takes. There for those who aren’t home for Christmas, too.

Missing People has been a mighty oak to us. Helping us through many years of struggle.

Donations make that possible. And families like mine need that support to continue. If there is ever a day when you feel discouraged, or are just having a bad day, please remember that your donation is helping Missing People be there for people across the UK. Helping in more ways than words can describe. Thank you so much for considering a donation to Missing People.”

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Life is lonely, scary and uncertain when someone like Andrew is missing, especially at Christmas. But with donations, the charity Missing People can be there for the missing, and those who love them.

How donations help

Helpline - £11.50 could answer a call
There for the missing, and those who love them, every day. To listen. To talk. To find a way through at a difficult time.
Support Workers - £30 could give a family a day’s support
Support Workers provide practical advice and emotional support to help families. There, however long it takes.
Counselling - £100 could pay for two vital sessions

What is ‘missing’?

There is not one multi-agency definition of missing, however for definition for police is “anyone whose whereabouts cannot be established will be considered as missing until located, and their well-being or otherwise confirmed.”

We provide free, confidential support, help and advice by phone, email, text and live chat, including the opportunity to reconnect. We also coordinate a UK wide network of people, businesses and media to join the search for the estimated 170,000 people who go missing each year.

Our work and services

Helpline

Our Helpline team are there for the missing, and those who love them, every day. To listen. To talk. To find an immediate way through at a difficult time. There so no one is alone or forgotten.

Support Workers

Our Family Support Workers offer vital help, providing practical advice and support to navigate each day, until there is closure.

Counselling

Missing People Counsellors provide intensive support for loved ones of missing people. Via phone or video, they help people to build resilience to cope with the toughest of all loses.

Campaigning

We’re there to prevent future generations from going missing due to inadequate mental health support. We’re there with those campaigning for a better response for their missing loved one.