Kevin Gosden has spoken about his love for his son and how his disappearance affects everyday life
Kevin Gosden beside a portrait of his son Andrew who went missing in 2007 aged 14 (Image: Paul David
Andrew Gosden's dad has shared his thoughts about his beloved son on his 32nd birthday – nearly 18 years after he disappeared.
Andrew was 14 when he went missing from his home in Doncaster in September 2007. South Yorkshire Police said it was never too late to share information with police and urged people to get in touch if they know anything.
In a blog published today to mark Andrew's birthday, Kevin said: “I wake up with a sense of panic almost every day.
“Sometimes I am able to rationalise things and calm myself, but the sensation often persists until I go to bed again.
“It is a common symptom of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Along with the flashbacks and nightmares.
“After nearly 18 years since Andrew went missing, it demonstrates how deeply rooted in the subconscious a traumatic time can be.
“These moments can affect your entire life and this is particularly the case when you cannot reach a conclusion about the fate of your missing loved one.
“I wrote a year ago about our house refurbishment and how difficult it has felt to change Andrew’s old room in particular. I am still working on the house, but a great deal has been completed now and we have endeavoured to do things in a way that reminds us of Andrew.”Kevin shared photos of how Andrew's bedroom now looks, including the use of blue as it was the colour he chose when he was little. “When we were looking at paint colours, we ended up saying it had to be blue, the colour Andrew chose when he was young: anything else just felt wrong to us,” he wrote.
Kevin said a portrait of Andrew had also been put up and one of his sister, Charlotte, who was best friends with her brother. “These are the positive memories, the ones that remind us of Andrew, how much we love him,” Kevin wrote.
“I was recently asked for a podcast if I have any difficult memories of Andrew and the straight up answer is no; we always enjoyed his company and conversation and my wife and I were always aware of how easy our children were at every age. It reminded me of a colleague one lunch time who commented that I was the only member of the team who never grumbled about his children. I never had to.”
Kevin also shared a photo of Andrew's collection of rocks and minerals which are on the family's cellar rooms. he wrote: “The picture below is from our cellar rooms (where Andrew was often found playing on his X-Box). I re-used old wardrobes to build open shelving and used a section of it to display some of his collection of rocks and minerals. I think he would like it, especially the UV lights under which some of the rocks fluoresce. He would know that the shelves in the centre at the back were ones he and I made together. He was around 10 I think and not at all bad with a chisel to cut slots for the small glass shelves and dovetail joints on the corners.
“It is an irony, I think, that we have nothing but good memories of Andrew, but still wake each day feeling the panic of his disappearance.
“He will be 32 on July 10. Perhaps you would feel able to remember Andrew by sharing a current appeal for a missing young person, or by making a donation, however small, to Missing People, the charity that is always there for us and so many other families. Thank you.”
South Yorkshire Police released a statement to mark Andrew's 32nd birthday. The force said: “We are thinking of the family of missing Andrew Gosden today on his 32nd birthday. Andrew, from Doncaster, went missing when he was 14 years old in September 2007.
“His father Kevin has marked his son's 32nd birthday by publishing a blog post which can be read here: