A SONG has been released for a boy who went missing just three days after the start of the first UK lockdown.
Sunny Davidson's track "May You Find Your Way Home" follows the story of missing Saltdean teenager Owen Harding.
He has not been seen since going for a walk from his home on March 26.
A large search effort was launched with friends, family and members of the community all organising walks, patrols and more to try and find Owen, who was 16 at the time he went missing.
But, more than eight months on, there have been no sightings of him.
Following his disappearance, his mum Stella Harding said she had a fire in her garden which she would often sit by. There, she would speak with her partner, singer-songwriter Sunny Davidson, over the phone.
But the pair were unable to meet due to lockdown rules.
Stella, 43, said: "In the beginning, when Owen went missing, Sunny would send me lots of music. It was really soothing and comforting at that time, I would listen to the music while sitting by the fire.
"He spoke to me every day. I'm not a poet or a musician, I'm a talker, but he turned my words into a beautiful song.
"The song really represents my experience, and the collective experience of my community as we felt the devastating loss of Owen.
"And it also deeply resonates with other families that have missing loved ones."
The song is available on Bandcamp, and can be bought for one pound.
Click here to visit the Bandcamp site>>>
All proceeds will go to Missing People, "the only UK charity lifeline for anyone affected by someone going missing".
Sunny said: "This song is my attempt to express some of the depth of feeling surrounding this tragic set of circumstances which have rocked the local community.
"I believe that music and song can really help us to process our grief and can bring comfort in hard times such as these and so that’s the intention behind this offering.
"I want to take this opportunity to send all my love to you Owen, wherever you are, to your mum Stella, your little sister and to all your family and friends. Giving thanks for your life."
Stella, who is a swimming teacher in the Saltdean area, also stressed the importance of looking after others over the Christmas period, especially this year when gatherings were limited to three households.
"Lockdown goes against human nature," she said.
"We are a community and we need each other, social contact and seeing other people. Everyone is suffering without that.
"Cancer treatment, social deprivation, mental health, abusive relationships. If we have this tunnel-vision approach to solving coronavirus, we missing all these other things.
"It is so important that people reach out and support each other at this time."
Missing People chief executive Jo Youle said she feared the impacts of the coronavirus crisis, and subsequent lockdown, could mean that there would be more people going missing over the festive period.
She said: "Christmas is always a challenging time of year, and especially so in 2020 when many of us have spent the year apart from loved ones and are continuing to do so.
“Mental health and money problems are a key driver for people to go missing.
"This year the financial and societal impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic are likely to lead to a significant increase in the numbers of people going missing, and feeling suicidal, perhaps at a scale not seen before.
"This is likely to be most acutely felt in disadvantaged communities and those who are already socially excluded."
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