Kate McCann 'More Driven Than Ever'

The mother of missing Madeleine McCann has said she is more driven than ever'' to continue the search for her daughter, ahead of the eighth anniversary of the girl's disappearance.

Kate McCann spoke as she announced that she will lead a 500-mile (805km) bike ride from Edinburgh to London in June to raise £10,000 for a missing persons charity.

Madeleine was three when she went missing from her family's holiday apartment in Portugal's Algarve on May 3 2007 as her parents, Kate and Gerry, dined at a nearby tapas restaurant with friends.

Mrs McCann, who is fundraising for Missing People, of which she is an ambassador, said: As the eighth anniversary of our daughter Madeleine's abduction is upon us, I'm more driven than ever to continue the search for Madeleine and to help other families who face the pain of a child being missing.

All of us can play a part in helping this important charity.''

Mrs McCann will lead 20 cyclists on a Cycle Challenge starting at Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh's landmark hill, on June 13. They will then take in Newcastle, York, Nottingham and Northampton before finishing at the Tower of London on June 17.

Madeleine's disappearance is one of the most famous missing persons cases of all time.

Last week her parents won a libel payout against Portuguese detective Goncalo Amaral, who had been on trial over claims he made in a book and a documentary that the couple were involved in Madeleine's disappearance in Praia da Luz.

In a written verdict, a Lisbon court agreed that Mr Amaral should pay Mr and Mrs McCann 250,000 euros (£179,000) each in damages and it banned further sales of his book, The Truth Of The Lie.

British police officers spent eight days searching three areas of land in Praia da Luz last June, close to where Madeleine disappeared, but found no new evidence.

The Metropolitan Police launched their own operation in 2011.

Missing People is launching a fundraising effort alongside Mrs McCann's ride.

#MissforMay encourages people to give up a luxury for May and donate the money they save.

Its chief executive, Jo Youle, said: We are hugely grateful to Kate McCann for taking on this incredible challenge to help missing people and their families across the UK.''

:: To donate to Kate McCann's Cycle Challenge visit www.justgiving.com/KateMcCann/