Shrewsbury business owners join poster campaign to find missing Daniel Hodgin

Posters created by the Shropshire Star have been handed out to people and businesses across the town to help the search for Daniel, who has not been seen since November 23.

One of the businesses which has put up the posters is the Sports & Games shop on St John's Hill. Owner Keith Roberts said: "The whole of the community should be getting together to help and find this young man, even if it is just raising awareness like these posters.

"If it was my son I would hope the community would pull together. Putting these posters up across town will help and people will get to know his face, if they don't already."

Emma Hughes, owner of the Open All Flowers florists at Bellstone, said: "It is important we help to maybe jog someone's memory, even a little bit.

"I don't know the chap, but it is important for us all to help."

Daniel, from Madeley, Telford, was last seen in the early hours of that Sunday after a night out at the Buttermarket nightclub in Shrewsbury.

He used his mobile to call his mother Lorraine at 5.30am to say he did not know where he was and that he was going to walk home. But he has not been seen or heard from since despite extensive police searches which continued over the weekend.

As well as being handed out to businesses the posters were also handed out on Saturday when hundreds of people turned out to search for Daniel.

His sister Emily said she wanted to urge people to keep checking their gardens or to lookout for Daniel or any of his possessions.

Meanwhile, more than £1,500 has been donated to replace a rescue boat which was irreparably damaged during the ongoing search for Daniel.

The West Midlands Search & Rescue Team (WMSAR) was helping to search the River Severn in Shrewsbury on Saturday when it struck underwater debris and the damage cannot be repaired.

A replacement rescue craft will cost the voluntary group £1,200 – but thanks to public donations the team will be able to buy a replacement straight away.

Richard Rollinson, asset manager with the WMSAR, said: "This is a wonderful gesture by the community for an important thing.

"It is great we can order this so quickly and get back up to full strength.

"We were out searching the river upstream on Saturday, and on the way back downstream the boat hit some debris which was completely submerged under the water.

"It tore a hole right through the inflatable underside of the boat. The boat was written off and can't be repaired.

"We were down to two boats, and to have a third back and be fully operational again so quickly is hugely important."

He added: "We were amazed that people rallied together, and it means such a lot to us as a team here, who are all volunteers."

The majority of the money has come from the Turner family, who run Turner's Furniture shops with branches in Shrewsbury, Wellington, and Wrexham.

Julie and Alan Turner, who run the furniture shops, said they wanted to help as soon as they heard about the accident which caused damage to the boat.

Mrs Turner, 55, said: "This is something local and important .

"We knew the money would be able to make an instant impact.

"I can't imagine what the family of Daniel are going through, but we gave this money for them and to help with the search.

"But this boat could also be something that helps for the future.

"None of us can ever know when we are going to need it."

As well as the £1,000 donated by the Turner family, more than £500 was raised from public donations after the alert was raised on the WMSAR website at the weekend.