It is heartbreaking for our family to accept the likelihood of spending a third Christmas without Madeleine. Her absence is even more tangible at this time of year. It is difficult also to believe that another year has passed by.

It has however been an incredibly busy year with so much hard work going into the investigation and campaign to find Madeleine. This fact alone is positive in many ways and probably explains why the last twelve months appear to have flown by! There is however also a feeling of great disappointment when the one thing that we want so badly still eludes us.

Some people (thankfully in the minority) may have their own reasons and agendas for wanting to discontinue the search for Madeleine, and for others it may be easier or more ‘convenient' to give up. For us, there is no option, no alternative. We long for our ‘baby', our daughter, our sister, our granddaughter, our friend, our dear sweet Madeleine to be home. This drive and perseverance to find her is not wishful thinking; it is reinforced by facts and evidence. The facts and evidence say: Madeleine is still missing and there is a very real likelihood that she is alive. Hence the search to find her must continue.

Whilst it has been left for us as Madeleine's parents to find our daughter, there is no doubt that our chances of finding her are much greater with the eyes, ears, hearts and minds of the general public assisting us.

We would like to thank everyone who continues to support and help us. Thank you also for all the Christmas cards, kind messages, flowers and gifts, as well as the many masses and prayers offered for Madeleine. This wonderful support, together with the commitment of so many people to finding Madeleine is quite incredible and invaluable.

We can assure you that we will never stop looking for Madeleine and our resolve will not weaken, no matter what challenges are put in our way. We are prepared to pursue all avenues if it is felt to be of benefit to Madeleine. We continue to hope and pray that the coming year will be a happy and successful one.

Merry Christmas to all of Madeleine's supporters and our best wishes for a very good and peaceful 2010.

Yesterday morning Gerry and I attended the Civil Court in Lisbon for the planned trial relating to the injunction against Goncalo Amaral's book and DVD. The trial was postponed until January as Mr Amaral's Lawyer was unable to attend. As the injunction remains in place (following the Judge's decision in September), we have no reason to be dissapointed. For us it was important to be there, especially for Madeleine. 

We travelled to Praia da Luz yesterday afternoon. I have longed to come back here for two years for personal and emotional reasons. Early this morning we went to the lovely little church of Nossa Senhora da Luz. It was so quiet and peaceful - a real sanctuary. Although our pain feels much rawer here, it is comforting at the same time since we feel closer to Madeleine. We then walked down to the rocks on the beach, with its crashing waves and sense of vastness and freedom -
another place where I've always felt able to reach out to Madeleine and find a little solace. For the rest of today we are planning to catch up with some very good friends. We hope that the media will respect our privacy and needs, as requested, as well as those of the local community.

Thank you to Tony McVey and all at Atlantic Scaffolding in Liverpool for this fantastic show of support and help with our campaign to find Madeleine.

Earlier this week, the Child Exploitation and Online Protection centre (CEOP) launched a special message, an appeal, to the person who knows or strongly suspects who was involved in Madeleine’s abduction. The aim of this initiative was (and still is) to prick the conscience of that person who knows and prompt them to come forward with that key piece of information which could lead to Madeleine coming home. The more people we can reach worldwide with this message, the greater the chance of us reaching that person who knows. And the more times this message reaches that person, the greater the chance of them doing the right thing and passing on the information that they have been keeping secret. With this in mind, we would like to thank everyone around the world, individuals and organisations, who have helped us by watching this special message on-line and forwarding it on to their friends, business contacts and network communities. We are once again overwhelmed and uplifted by the amazing commitment and kindness shown by the general public in our efforts to find Madeleine. The message can still be viewed, downloaded and forwarded in 7 different languages from http://www.ceop.police.uk/  We would be really grateful for your continued help.

Together, we can reach that person who knows. If you are that person, remember that it is never too late to do the right thing. This will never go away until we have found Madeleine. We love her too much. Please do the right thing by giving that information to your local police. Alternatively, please call the ‘Find Madeleine’ investigation team on +44 (0)845 838 4699 or email the team at investigation@findmadeleine.com.One email or one phone-call – and this nightmare could be over for everyone.

This is a heartfelt note to say a very big thank you to all at Everton Football Club and all of their fantastic supporters. To see so many fans wearing a Madeleine t-shirt was an incredibly uplifting (and emotional!) sight – such invaluable support and an amazing show of solidarity.

Regardless of tonight’s result against Benfica, you have made one family very proud and have made a special and significant impact on the search for a very precious little girl.

On behalf of Madeleine and all of her family, thank you so much. We are very proud to be Blue!