MILK bottles could soon feature the face of missing Golcar dad Steven Cooper.
Steven went missing on January 21 2008 just hours after celebrating his 47th birthday with family and friends in his home town.
His car was later discovered near a loch in the Scottish Highlands.
This week his family has been told his face could appear on Iceland milk bottle labels as part of a initiative with the Missing People charity.
His sister Trish Cooper said: “It would mean so much to us because it means somebody would be doing something to help us.
“It will be two years in January and I can’t believe how quickly it has gone, but then it also seems like forever too.
“I don’t want people to forget he is missing, but the police search has been called off and what do we do now?
“As far as I am concerned his is alive until it has been proven different.”
The hunt to find him was switched from Huddersfield to the Scottish Highlands in January 2008 after his car was found closed to Loch Laggan – on the edge of the Scottish Highlands, some 15 miles from Loch Ness.
Trish, of Brockholes, added: “The police think he could be in the loch because his car was found there.
“It is so peaty and the water is not at all good for divers but they could use sonar device to search the water from above – they can see tiny animals, bones or a person using sonar.
“But it’s 15 miles of water and they won’t do it.
“It’s been nearly 20 months now and it’s still raw for us.
“The police are just presuming that he went into the loch because of where his car is.
“But we don’t have answers and while we don’t there will always be questions.”
Missing People is a charity which has helped the Cooper family through the past 20 months since Steven was reported missing.
They keep in touch with the family on a regular basis and it was them who put his name forward for the milk bottle initiative.
If they choose to accept Steven for the labels, his face, description and details about his disappearance will feature on milk bottles from November until January. “We have got to carry on, we’ve got no choice,” Trish added. “But we are helpless because we have to rely on others to help us find him.
“The support we have had off family and friends has been amazing and we won’t stop until we find him.
“Missing People are our last lifeline – they’re all we’ve got left.”
TIMELINE
January 21, 2008 Steven is reported missing
January 28, 2008 hunt switches to the Scottish Highlands
January 30, 2008 police call off search by mountain rescue teams and an RAF helicopter
February 5, 2008 his family appeal for help in tracing Steven
February 27, 2008 police officially end search
March 2008 family joins forces with Missing People charity
April 25, 2008 case features on the BBC1 Missing programme
May 2 2008 old army friend Kenneth Holroyd scales five Scottish peaks in a bid to find him
January 21, 2009 his family faces the first anniversary of his disappearance with a plea for help
