Madeleine Campaign Continues; Dad Returns to UK

Gerry McCann returned to the UK yesterday for a series of meetings on the campaign to find his daughter Madeleine. This marks his second visit to the country since the four-year-old was kidnapped.

His wife, Kate, and their two-year-old twins, Sean and Amelie, have stayed behind in the resort town in Portugal where Madeleine disappeared.

A new strategy is being sought by the McCann family, with plans to employ a campaign manager to keep Madeleine's profile high.

Gerry writes online, "We are exploring the use of new media and using local advertising, particularly in Europe. There will of course be event driven media exposure such as the balloon launch on Friday 22nd. There are several other very good ideas being developed and a few large companies are willing to help us."

He adds, "We have to balance any campaigning in the search for Madeleine with protecting Sean and Amelie and making sure their privacy is protected."

A spokeswoman for the family said Mr McCann would not go back to the family home in Rothley, Leicestershire, on this trip. She added: "He has come back for business meetings with the campaign organisers and others. They are all private meetings. He is very keen to get the campaign moving forward as quickly as possible."

The McCanns have recently indicated that they will broaden their search for their daughter into a wider campaign on the issues of child trafficking and abduction.

They will release 50 balloons from 50 countries this Friday to highlight the fact their daughter will have been missing for 50 days.

Mr McCann said: "We will probably have 10 centres in the UK - like Glasgow, Liverpool, Leicester - as well as Ireland and Guernsey where we have friends, and Kate and I will do the Praia da Luz one.

"We are going to tie it in with other missing kids. We were anxious about going to their countries and asking for help finding Madeleine but they have said 'what you are doing is amazing and it is helping us'."

Germany, France, Australia, Dubai, Canada, America and El Salvador are among those places expected to take part.