'Inappropriate' Maddy ribbons are taken down

HUNDREDS of ribbons of hope for missing Madeleine McCann have been removed from railings at the Town Church after calls from the public that they were no longer appropriate. Public Services was contacted by people claiming support for the campaign to find the four-year-old was unsuitable following the announcement that her parents, Gerry and Kate, were official suspects in their daughter's disappearance from Praia da Luz, Portugal, on 3 May.

Linda Garnham, founder of Aid Reaching Children, who organised the show of support, said she had agreed to remove the ribbons and letters left by islanders over the past few months.

'We took them down the other day because the States asked us to,' she said.

'The reason they gave is that this was a very sensitive time and a couple of people had asked why the ribbons and posters were still up, but we intended to take them down at some point anyway.

'We were going to bring it to an end because they have taken the ribbons down in her hometown and they were starting to look a bit shabby,' said Miss Garnham.

She said that the messages had been seen by thousands of people.

'We had them up in the summer when the cruise ships came in and everybody spotted them,' she said.

Madeleine has been missing for 135 days and the funds donated to help find her have so far totalled more than £1m.

Miss Garnham said there were now other causes that needed the money.

'I think the fund-raising side of it should be halted,' she said.

Miss Garnham said her charity was not giving up hope that Madeleine would be found.

'I felt horrible taking the ribbons and messages down because a couple of kids walked past and asked what I was doing taking them down because Madeleine still hasn't been found,' she said.

ARC raised £351 from a balloon release in June.

Miss Garnham said recent reports about the investigation had left doubts in people's minds.

'But I don't think anybody believes the family had anything to do with it at all. We certainly don't,' she said.

'As a charity we feel we need to keep hoping and praying that she was abducted and not murdered.'