Darling, I thought you would never see our new baby' - by girlfriend Dawn
11/04/2006

Chris , then 23, went missing from Sunderland on the 11th December 2004. Chris had left home at 9.45am that day to go to work in a local store but never arrived.

Meanwhile pregnant girlfriend Dawn was left at home without news. Dawn was even more concerned because Chris had recently had some sad family news, but appeared happy prior to going missing.

As days became weeks, Dawn was worried that Chris would miss the birth of their first baby. She desperately contacted the National Missing Persons Helpline for advice and support. They sent out appeals in the local and national media and distributed posters all over the area.

Then on 21st April 2005 Dawn's prayers were answered - the police called to say Chris had been sleeping rough in London for months, and had finally been found in Reading.

Still worries for Dawn, but happy he was alive a few days later both were reunited.

Chris returned to a beautiful two week old son called Connor. He has just needed time to get his head round being a new dad. The family is now happier than ever with wedding bells ringing…

GoodFund has chosen the National Missing Persons Helpline (NMPH) as a beneficiary of the Postcode Lottery proceeds as it helps families in the North East and across the UK.

The NMPH charity is more than a helpline. It is a lifeline to the thousands of families who call each year. The charity exists to support those who have a loved one missing, and to work in the best interests of the missing persons themselves.

Such is demand that this young charity, established in 1992, needs critical funds to continue its vital role in society. In 14 years the NMPH has grown tremendously, having the only comprehensive national register of missing people in the UK and receiving over 150,000 calls every year.

The charity is unique in that it can help with both high and low risk missing person cases. Two in every three cases are resolved through a broad range of publicity outlets and a wide variety of information sources. NMPH also runs the confidential Message Home and Runaway Helplines as neutral intermediaries between missing people and their families and carers.

People of all ages and from all walks of life go missing. Adults and children disappear for a variety of reasons including ill health, relationship breakdowns, amnesia, depression and occasionally due to foul play. Young people may be coerced by others and occasionally abducted. Whatever the reason, missing people need to be contacted to ensure they are safe and reunited with their families if appropriate. While they are missing, NMPH offers a vital support service to their anxious families as they wait for news.

The good news is that the majority of missing people turn up eventually and it is often the NMPH that finds them. The charity relies completely on people's voluntary generosity to carry out its much-needed work.

If you would like to find out more, please click here to read the NMPH Winter 2005 newsletter.

www.missingpersons.org