The news that funding to find missing Madeleine McCann is running out has shocked the people of Donegal, where the little girl's grandfather grew up. 

Madeleine was abducted from a holiday apartment in Portugal's Algarve, just days before her fourth birthday. Since then, reports of sightings have flooded in from around the world but she has never been found.

Determined not to let her case slip out of the minds of the public, Madeleine's parents have kept up a privately-funded campaign to find their daughter.

Helped by generous donations from the public, the funds once stood at an estimated £2m. But, with the cash running out, it is feared the investigation could wind up.

"That's the tragedy - money talks and without it, I don't know what would be the way forward," said St Johnston man, Al McNulty.

"But I'm sure that the people of Donegal would only be too happy to put their hands in their pockets to help."

Mr McNulty, who knows the McCann family well and used to play football with Madeleine's grandfather, said the local community thought of them as "one of their own".

He added: "They take very much to heart what has happened. Everybody's feeling for the McCann family, knowing that they originally came from this part of the country.

"It must be an awful experience for both of them (Kate and Gerry), to go through life wondering where their daughter is."

The McCann family's spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, told UTV there's enough money in the fund to keep the search fully active until next spring.

"Most decent-thinking people realise that their search will go on for as long as it takes," he said "There is nothing to suggest any harm has befallen Madeleine - there is no evidence to suggest what has happened to her. And on that basis, until they know, Kate and Gerry will keep going and they believe they still have a great ground-swell of public support - not just in Britain, but in Ireland particularly where support has been absolutely fantastic."

On Tuesday, Kate and Gerry McCann called for all the evidence in Madeleine's case, held in both the UK and Portugal, to be reviewed.

Just 24 hours after launching a petition, 10,000 signatures backing them had already been secured.

Stating that the review would not be about apportioning blame for any mistakes during the investigation, Madeleine's dad Gerry said he knew it would be difficult but that the family still believe their little girl could be found safe and well.

"What we need to do is make sure the authorities are doing everything in their power to find Madeline and those responsible for her abduction," he added.

"We will keep going until the end."

Madeleine's twin siblings Sean and Amelie, who were just two when their sister was taken, are now almost six-years-old.

According to their mum Kate, the pair still talk about Madeleine every day.

"They understand we have to look for her," she said. "They still talk about when Madeleine will come home."

© UTV News

UTV NEWS NOV 3RD 2010 (1) – MCCANNS VIDEO AND TRANSCRIPT

With thanks to JJP for transcript

Paul Clark Its half past ten on the third of November. You’re watching UTV Live Tonight. Good evening and welcome to the programme. I’m Paul Clark and welcome to the programme.  She’s been missing for more than three years and now the family of Madeleine McCann fear the search for their daughter could be nearing its end. A vigil is held for the pensioner who died after collapsing during a robbery at a shop in west Belfast.  A girl who died trying to save her family from a fire started deliberately by her father is rewarded for her bravery.  And as Barack Obama suffers a humiliating defeat in the mid-term elections. Has he become a lame duck President?

Madeleine McCann’s abduction touched the hearts of millions of people throughout the world, not least in Donegal where she holidayed with her family just weeks before she vanished. But there’s still no sign of Maddie. A private investigation launched by her parents is running out of cash, fast.  On top of that they fear the authorities have given up the hunt for their daughter. Sharon O’Neill reports.

Kate McCann If it wasn’t for the kindness of the general public there wouldn’t have been a search at all for Madeleine. Without Madeleine’s fund there would have been no investigation at all in the last two years.

Gerry McCann If Madeleine was found it would almost be by chance and it shouldn’t be right that this crime is solved by another child being abducted.

Sharon O’Neill Madeleine McCann is at her happiest here. Its the Easter holidays and she’s is in Donegal, where her grandparents live, enjoying an ice cream with friends. But just weeks after this photograph was taken the three year old vanished, snatched from her parents’ holiday apartment in the Algarve in a tragic story which has gripped the world.

GM I mean there are days when you feel like you can’t go on and, you know, its a burden that you carry constantly but as Kate said, you know, its like a treadmill that you’re on and you can’t get off as parents. Even if you wanted to, you can’t. And, I think you know, we will keep going till the end.

SO’N While Madeleine’s parents will never give up hope, they fear those in power have.

KM I expected more and whether my expectations were higher than they should have been. I don’t believe so because we are British citizens and even opening Madeleine’s passport on the front page it says that we will provide you with assistance and protection and I feel she could have a lot more.

SO’N Madeleine disappeared while on holiday with her family in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz in the  Algarve. Just days before her fourth birthday she was kidnapped from this ground floor apartment as her parents ate a restaurant nearby. A massive search was launched as soon as they realised Madeleine was gone and that search turned global.

David Beckham Please could you go to your local authorities or the police and give any information that you have, any genuine information that you have. Please, please help us.

SO’N But despite tip-offs and alleged sightings of Madeleine, she’s never been found.  Frustrated by the lack of progress in the investigation by Police in England, where they live, and the Portuguese authorities the McCanns set up their own privately-funded investigation boosted by the generosity of the public.  At its peak £2 million pounds was in the fund.  But the cash is running out and the investigation is in danger of winding up.  Today the McCanns made a final appeal to the UK and Portuguese authorities. They want a full review of the case.

KM Well the case was officially closed in July 2008 so that’s what, two and a quarter years ago.  I suspect there’s probably little that was done proactively after we were declared arguido in September 2007.

GM I think that will probably come as a surprise to most people.  And (let me be clear here????) there are reactive elements of new information comes in.  I’m sure the British police will take it forward, prioritise it and send it through to Portugal and our own team have passed information through.  But what we want is a fundamental review of all the major facts looking at all elements of information, looking at the processes that were undertaken and say this could have been done better. And the goal is to, obviously to find Madeleine and who took her but that person or those responsible are still at liberty and they should be brought to justice.

SO’N The Mccanns have close links to Northern Ireland and the Republic.  Gerry’s father Jack went to school in Londonderry but he grew up in the village of St Johnston just over the border in Donegal and he ran this pub with his wife Eileen up until he died.  St Johnston became a retreat for Gerry, Kate and their young family and people here feel they have been badly left down.

Local Man They think of them as one of their own, do you understand?  And they take it very much to heart the thing, exactly what has happened.  So everybody is feeling for the McCann family, knowing that they came from this part of the country.

Local Woman People everywhere have, you know, huge sympathy for the family and what they are going through.  And I think its terrible that there still hasn’t been anything done, you know, up to date about her.  I’m sure somebody somewhere knows where she is and, you know, some more should be done to help them find her.

SO’N This is how Madeleine may look today.  Three years older but still with those big innocent eyes which captivated the world.  Gerry and Kate believe their daughter is still alive.

GM We all know it will be very difficult to find Madeleine.  There’s been enough cases of other children who have been missing for very prolonged periods, including Jaycee Dugard, Sean Hornbeck and others who have been recovered after being abducted and been physically well.  So there’s absolutely no evidence to suggest Madeleine is not out there and what we need to do is to make sure that the authorities are doing everything within their power to find Madeleine and those responsible for her abduction.

SO’N Madeleine’s younger brother and sister, who were also in the apartment at the time she disappeared, are also waiting for her to come home.

KM Oh they’re fantastic. I mean they’re five and three quarters now, as they’ll tell you, erm, and they’re unbelievable. They really are amazing.  Erm, they still talk about Madeleine all the time  I mean every day they’ll talk about Madeleine.  Erm, they understand that we’re having to look for her, that we have various people looking for us.  They understand why people have car stickers, why people have wrist-bands.  Erm and they still talk about when Madeleine comes home, you know.  How will they share the bedrooms?  Will the three of them be together, well you know?  What colour bedroom will we have, you know?  They’re desperate for her to get home so she can open all those presents that are sitting in her room, you know.  But they, you know, they keep us going and this would be so much harder, unbearable in fact, if it wasn’t for Sean and Amelie.

SO’N The McCanns have suffered every parents’ worst nightmare but they still haven’t lost heart that one day they will see Madeleine again.  Sharon O’Neill, UTV Tonight

UTV NEWS NOV 3RD 2010 (2) – MITCHELL VIDEO AND TRANSCRIPT

With thanks to JJP for transcript

Paul Clarke I’m joined now from London by the McCann’s spokesman, Clarence Mitchell.  Clarence Mitchell, how do the McCanns feel that they may soon not be able to afford this search?

Clarence Mitchell Paul, good evening.  Well, of course, they hope that that will not be the case.  There is enough money in the fund to keep the search fully active until the spring of next year.  But obviously it makes sense to raise the possibility of the fund dwindling now so, in the hope that people will continue to be as generous and as kind as they have been in the past.  Public support has been fantastic and you can see that, even from today, within 24 hours of them launching their new online petition calling for a review of all the evidence in Britain and Portugal into Madeleine’s case we’ve already got some ten thousand signatures online.  So that’s great.  And if people wish to contribute financially as well, of course Kate and Gerry will be incredibly grateful.

PC Do they feel there is a danger that people will give up on them?

CM They hope not.  They don’t think so.  Most decent-thinking people realise their search will go on as long as it takes.  There is nothing to suggest that harm has befallen Madeleine.  There is no evidence to suggest what has happened to her.  And on that basis, until they know, Kate and Gerry will keep going.  And they believe they still have a great groundswell of public support not just in Britain but in Ireland particularly where support has been absolutely fantastic.  Erm, but across Europe. Indeed across the world.  So they still feel greatly buoyed by the wave of sympathy and support that always comes along whenever they do some interviews as they’ve just done today.

PC How do they cope on a day-to-day basis?

CM Well they keep going. I mean this has very much become almost a second career for them. Of course, Kate never resumed her work as a GP.  She is very much concentrating on bringing up Madeleine’s twin brother and sister, Sean and Amelie, as their mother.  When she’s not doing that, she’s campaigning, she’s on the computer, she’s talking to the authorities, she’s talking to supporters.  That really has become her full-time focus.  Gerry is back at work as a full-time cardiologist providing the back bone for the family.  But really this has become their entire focus around their normal life and its that which actually gives them inner strength to keep going.

PC You talked about the support from Ireland. There is an Irish connection.  The McCanns, have they plans to come back to Donegal at any stage?

CM Yes, of course, Gerrys father went to school in Derry and came from Donegal originally.  There are very strong family connections, certainly on Gerry’s side of the family.  They’ve always said they fully intend to go back when the time is right. They are only too appreciative of the support from Ireland both South and North and I know that they intend to come back at some point in the near future.  Obviously, they would hope that they will have Madeleine with them.  That day may still be a little way off but their thoughts and prayers are with everyone in Ireland and they are incredibly grateful for that continuing level of support and they would hope that everybody in Ireland will go to the online site. You can go to it through the findmadeleine.com site and sign up to this petition asking for the review that they want. They feel that’s a critical part of the jigsaw and could lead to Madeleine being brought home.

PC Clarence Mitchell in London, thank you.