A 72-year-old Banbury mother whose son disappeared 15 years ago is to join a sponsored walk in aid of the National Missing Persons' Helpline.

Jo Ault, of Aston Close, will link up with a group walking from Glasgow to London. She will trek from Banbury to Oxford along the canal towpath in two stages on Thursday, June 20, and Friday, June 21.

It will be the third time Mrs Ault has joined the annual 'missing miles' marathon, raising more than £400.

Her son Edmund was 22 when he went missing. The youngest of seven children, he was part of what Mrs Ault described as a normal, happy family.

Mrs Ault said: "Eddie was living in Hull with his sister Madeleine. One day in 1987, he packed his belongings and walked out. "We did everything we could. I contacted the Salvation Army, and for a year we searched the streets of Hull. He was seen in Edenbridge, Kent, in April 1988, but has not been seen or heard of since."

When the Missing Persons' Helpline was launched in 1992, Eddie's case was the first it took on.

Mrs Ault said: "We still believe Eddie is alive.

"I need to tell him his father died six years ago. We've had great support from the helpline. I still miss Eddie."

The Missing Persons' Helpline provides a 24-hour telephone contact line, counselling for families, publicity about missing people, and a national computerised register of missing persons.

Anyone who would like to sponsor Mrs Ault can call her on 01295 258495.