Kate McCann reveals she still buys Maddie presents at Xmas

Kate McCann reveals she still buys Maddie presents at Xmas



Madeleine McCann's family still 'hope and pray she will be found', with her mother Kate still laying Christmas presents in her bedroom in case she reappears. 



A stocking full of gifts and cards will be placed in Maddie's pretty pink room, which has remained untouched since she vanished more than 10 and a half years ago.



It has become a shrine with photos and drawings as well as festive offerings and birthday parcels.



Her mother says the irony is 'she wouldn't want it like that any more because it's bright pink', but she cannot bring herself to change it.



Mrs McCann, a former GP, now a medical worker, and heart doctor husband Gerry cling on to a glimmer of hope that their eldest child, who would now be 14, could one day return home.



Her great uncle Brian Kennedy, a retired head teacher of a secondary school which still holds a place for the teenager, told how the family were moving into the New Year with renewed hope after enduring their 11th Christmas without her.



Three-year-old Maddie vanished from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May 2007 while her parents were dining in a nearby tapas restaurant.



The McCanns, both 49, try to keep the festive season as fun and normal as possible for the sake of their 12-year-old twins Sean and Amelie.



But Mrs McCann previously said the occasion is always 'tinged with pain and longing' insisting: 'Madeleine should be here and we should be celebrating with her.



'We have not lost hope that we may get to celebrate another Christmas with her. '



The family are expected to have a low key Christmas at home in Rothley, Leicestershire.



Prayers will be said for Maddie during the village church's Christmas Day service, while a candle in memory of the youngster burns around the clock in the square beside the war memorial.



A Facebook page dedicated to Maddie has recently updated its cover photo to show her as she may look today.



The Official Find Madeleine Campaign, endorsed by the McCann's, display the last age progression image of Maddie as a teen alongside iconic snaps of her as a youngster with the bold words 'Have you seen me? Contact: Operation Grange.'





Mrs McCann still remembers the last Christmas she spent with her daughter, and recalls the moment when she unwrapped the toy kitchen her parents had bought her as a surprise.



'I remember seeing her face when she walked in – she was beside herself,' she said.



'She got straight to work and was preparing us all a meal.



'That was a lovely moment - I have bought a Christmas present for Madeleine every year since then but that toy cooker was the last one I ever saw her open.'



Mrs McCann said she 'couldn't do anything ... buy presents or cards or even put up the tree' the first Christmas after Madeleine disappeared.



One thing that she loves, she says, is spending 'quality time' with her other children, and the family enjoy 'cuddling up on the couch under a throw and watching a DVD together'.



She explained that the presents she buys Madeleine have to be 'suitable and enjoyable' for her – no matter what age she may be if she gets to open them.





The police investigation into Madeleine's disappearance is still active, and despite being the subject of one of the biggest missing person investigations of all time, no trace of her has ever been found.



'While it can be incredibly slow and frustrating, we continue in hope,' Mrs McCann added.



'That is all we can do.'



In September detectives were handed an extra £154,000 to continue the decade-long search.



The figure brings the total spending in 2017-18 on Operation Grange to £309,000 and the overall cost to around £11.5million.



Senior detectives have said they expect the investigation to continue until at least March, explaining that the final element of their probe proved much more 'complex' than had first been expected.



The size of the extra cash award raised hopes that the force was closing in on identifying whoever abducted the three-year-old but also raised questions about what the money would be spent on, as only four officers remain on the case.



According to the latest records, they have travelled to Portugal only twice this year, in March and May, at a cost of £1,250. The figures are small compared to the £16,000 spent on 67 flights during 2014 at the peak of the investigation.



Madeleine's parents insist the inquiry must continue as there is 'absolutely nothing' to suggest she has been harmed.



Not one piece of forensic evidence linked to her has been found since she vanished. And despite thousands of tip-offs and potential sightings, police have not confirmed that a single one