John’s poster bid to find Madeleine (From Thisisdorset)

John’s poster bid to find Madeleine

7:00pm Friday 18th May 2007

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A RINGWOOD businessman who has paid for thousands of posters of missing Madeleine McCann is handing them out to motorists today.

John Sandford-Hart will be sticking his 20,000 self-adhesive posters on cars, lorries and vans that pass along the busy A303 between Andover, Hants and Amesbury in Wiltshire.

“The A303 is the gateway down through the west and anybody coming up from Southampton has to go through Salisbury. They are busy commuter routes, busy business routes and busy tourist routes and that’s what we are trying to do."

Ringwood businessman John Sandford-Hart

His hope is that these vehicles will then travel across the country or abroad highlighting the little girl's plight.

Mr Sandford-Hart, who runs a sign firm, will be waiting at the Solstice Park Services in Amesbury today with two 5ft banners showing Madeleine's distinctive eye.

Tomorrow he plans to target the Tesco superstore in Salisbury, Wiltshire, sticking his posters to vehicles which pass along the A36 Southampton Road.

He said: "Instead of handing out posters, we have made them self-adhesive so we can stick them on cars, lorries and vans coming through.

"We will also have donation buckets out for the fighting fund."

He added: "The A303 is the gateway down through the west and anybody coming up from Southampton has to go through Salisbury.

"They are busy commuter routes, busy business routes and busy tourist routes and that's what we are trying to do.

"Twenty thousand posters will filter off around the country and abroad."

He said: "It's important that everybody helps. If one poster out of 20,000 makes a difference, it's worth it.

"I have a son who is four in October which brings it home."

National Express said posters of Madeleine would be put up in bus and coach stations in 27 countries served by the Eurolines coach service network in a bid to help find the four-year-old.

The posters, produced by the National Missing Persons Helpline, will be put up across Europe, from Ireland to the Baltic states and from Sweden down to Morocco.

Richard Bowker, National Express Group chief executive, said: "Everybody hopes Madeleine will be found safe and well, and we hope our support will help raise awareness in places not yet touched by the news of Madeleine's disappearance."

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