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Carol Sheridan, who we all know well as Greatnan, has gone missing in the French Alps, probably whilst out on one of her frequent mountain walks.
Carol lives in Habere Poche, in the Haute Savoie departemente about 20 miles from Lake Geneva. She is mad keen on hiking alone in the mountains, and will often take off in her car to find a remote mountain pass where she can walk and enjoy the amazing scenery.
On Saturday last, she was seen driving out of her car park by a neighbour, and she has not been sighted since. Police have made enquiries and advised she can be listed as a missing person this morning. Interpol, Wellington, New Zealand police and the French gendarmerie will cooperate in attempts to find Carol. (Her daughter lives in New Zealand)
Her daughter, Fiona Conyers, is coordinating a poster campaign, and local radio stations, the Mairie, people in the village, Commonwealth Office, British Embassy and several others have been notified. GNHQ have a copy of the poster and will try to assist.
Carol's mobile phone was active whilst she was missing, but is now showing 'call failed.' However, signals from it when it was active may help the search.
She drives a black Fiat Panda 4x4 reg: AZ 522 AP. she could be parked on a mountain pass, waiting for help to arrive if she has broken down. The walks she goes on are in very remote areas, but she does occasionally see other walkers and cyclists.
A group of Gransnetters has been busy over the last 36 hours, sharing information and supporting the family. A couple of fluent French speakers have emailed local radio stations, offered to speak to police and to give help with translations of information.
We are aware there are quite a few Gransnetters living in France and the Swiss borders. If you know of any walkers who will be in the French Alps today, please share this with them.
Finally, would you please avoid sending private pm message with your good wishes, as answering them will distract the involved Gransnet members from liaising and offering support to Carol's worried family. I know you lovely Gransnetters will understand, and we'll keep updating as we know more throughout the day.
Many thanks.
Excellent! Manchester Evenng News on board at last!
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/carol-sheridan-missing-fears-grow-6262707
Also BBC Radio Manchester - 12 o'clock today and they hope to get Heather for the afternoon Drive programme.
Fingers crossed for Greatnan
Great work, anno!
Well, that was a short clip from my interview!
Just in case anyone's missed it there's a question from her daughter Heather on timings of her last communication on this thread.
I doubt if anyone short of money would go to Geneva to buy a tablet . There is an Apple shop on the main shopping street. Would she not find it cheaper in France? My SIL would definitely wait until he was at the airport or go on Amazon and they never stop buying techie stuff. I will try to print off the poster and walk down there shortly.
She didn't really want to buy a tablet or laptop in France, hence choosing Heathrow, not Geneva. Said it was something about keyboard layout but didn't expand.
If the reporter can't reach Mark or Heather, he is going to come here and interview me. I'd rather he spoke to the family.
Hi some greay ideas coming up!
I have had camera crew round from the local itv news that are airing the story tonight. And another reporting agency that writed for all the national papers or in other words mercenary gets thay are trying to make money off the story! ! However, if it gets our cause into a national paper that will be worth it I suppose!
I do hope we find her soon! Thank you everyone! For all your help!
Hugs to you and Mark Heather.
You've both been doing a wonderful job, Heather under enormous stress. Did the Radio Manchester reporter get hold of either of you?
She wanted an English Qwerty keyboard so I don't think she'd go looking for one in France or Switzerland. In any case the shops would all be closed on Sundays in France and Switzerland except for the ones at Geneva airport.
The last comment I had from her on Facebook was last Thursday.
I've spread the word around here in Neuchatel ( which is a bit far away from where she lives) and hubby has circulated the posters at work. There are often people from there who go down that way at weekends.
Really really hoping we hear some positive news soon.
It is spreading in the local media in the North, so We're hopingthat some national papers and TV will pick it up soon. The sooner the better!
We're with you, Heather and Mark.
It's on the on-line Daily Mail now.
Everything crossed for good news soon.
Just seen it on Hull Daily Mail too - not as grand as Daily Mail but every little helps.
Here's the link to the DM article. More press coming.
May well be in the Liverpool Echo tomorrow - Carol lived and worked in Wirral for some years. Radio Manchester have come back to me and there will be an item on the news programme at 5pm. It's been a busy day; if only it had been at the beginning of the week.
I don't know the area at all but it's stated in the newspaper article that it is vast. But surely there is only a specific number of roads/tracks that can be accessed by car?
Gransnetters and others are doing a great job in alerting everybody possible that might be able to help. Like everyone else, I hope there is some good news soon.
Heather, sure this was one of first things done, but assume nearby hospitals have been rung etc.
The area is indeed vast, Eloethan, with a million tracks off other tracks off tiny roads, in the mountains and deep forests. But the fact that the Hunters Assocs and Hiking Feds are on board is very, very good - they go places ordinary people tend not to. Plus it is Toussaints today, a French holiday so that there are a lot of people here weekending and walking, getting their last outdoors fix before the winter. We have seen lots of helicopter activity around today too.
The story has now been covered by the Telegraph and will be in the paper tomorrow. You've all been amazingly proactive -there must be a breakthrough soon!
The map Carol gave me when I was there last year shows a spider's web of minor roads leading off the D12 which goes through the village. And each of these roads links up with other minor roads and so on and on. I'd say that, as she went out in the afternoon, she wouldn't have gone far afield, but, having said that, you can get very remote very quickly.
Radio Manchester gave me about a minute on the 5pm programme - still, I managed to get in as much about Carol as I could.
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