Owen Harding disappearance one year on

Three days into the first UK lockdown, the Saltdean teenager went for a walk and never returned.

This evening, people in his hometown as well as many others across the country who have been touched by his story will place a candle in their window to mark 365 days since his disappearance.

Stella said Sussex Police have stayed in regular contact with her since that day and say they will continue to keep the case open.

"But if nothing turns up, there is nothing for them to go on," the swimming teacher said, "And there has been nothing new recently.

Stella Harding has spoken about the disappearance of her teenage son Owen on the year anniversary of the day he went missing

"I can't believe it's been a year. I'm still in shock, still missing Owen, just trying to work life out.

"This is a very difficult thing to say and I don't always say it but, in my heart, I know he is not alive any more.

"In my heart, I know he is gone."

After Owen went missing last March there were huge community efforts to find him.

• READ MORE: Mum of missing Saltdean teen Owen Harding prepares for Christmas

Posters cropped up across Saltdean and other nearby towns and cities, including Brighton, urging anyone with information to come forward.

A former police officer living nearby organised searches of the undercliff, the South Downs, Telscombe Tye, along the A259 seafront road and other parts of the area around Owen's home, though the new lockdown measures meant these had to be socially distanced.

Stella said Owen had struggled with the new restrictions, which meant he was unable to see his friends or visit his girlfriend in York. At one point it was believed he had left his home on March 26 to try to visit her, but this information and further enquiries by police led to nothing.

"What I'm facing is this long-term ambiguous loss," Stella said. "You don't know for certain what has actually happened to them, you have to live with that.

Stella Harding has spoken about the disappearance of her teenage son Owen on the year anniversary of the day he went missing

"If somebody dies then you have a funeral or a memorial for them. I think, a year on, we are all struggling with the shock of what happened. Everyone who knew Owen has a sort of PTSD, those weeks of searching were filled with horror.

"Until we feel like we are ready to have a big memorial, we will just do little things."

Owen, a talented artist, went to Varndean College sixth form in Brighton. Stella said she has spoken with teachers there about the possibility of having a bench or a tree at the site in memory of her son.

After he went missing, Owen's story spread across the country, reaching others who had endured similar experiences with friends and family members. But it hit hardest in Saltdean.

Stella said: "I think everybody in the local area is collectively mourning the loss of Owen because he is a local boy."

Undated family handout photo of Stella Harding with her son Owen who is missing and believed to be walking 280 miles to visit his girlfriend amid Covid-19 lockdown..

So, when Stella suggested they raise money for the charity Missing People, which has provided knowledge and support to her over the past year, many were quick to throw their weight behind the campaign.

Home-owners, a butcher, a fish and chip shop, several cafes and many more local businesses are all displaying posters of Owen asking people to donate to the charity.

"It's a nice thing to do to mark a year of him being gone," Stella said.

"Missing People have been so supportive and helped me so much, and everyone in Saltdean has been so helpful."

She plans to spend today with a small group of friends and close family members, sitting around a fire together in the evening.

• READ MORE: Song released for missing Saltdean teenager Owen Harding

"Fire is the heart of the home,the hearth," Stella said. "It's what brings people together, it's warm and comforting.

"Me and Owen would sit by the fire a lot through his childhood. It's the best place, for me."

Missing People usually hosts an annual fundraising gala, but was unable to do so this year. Instead, it organised an online event earlier this month which featured a video message from Stella.

She said: "Owen is loved by so many of us. His little sister, his family, his girlfriend, all of his friends, we all miss him terribly.

"If I was to describe Owen, I would say that he was adventurous, outgoing, friendly, warm-hearted and really, really well-liked.

Owen Harding

"He was a keen and talented young artist attending sixth form college. Art was his favourite subject.

"That first week of lockdown was very hard on all of us, especially the young people who still wanted to see each other so much. But nothing could have prepared me for the devastating shock of my son going missing without a trace.

"From the start of this excruciating ordeal, Missing People charity have been an anchor for me and my community. It is always there as a source of help and information for all those affected by missing loved ones."

Click here to visit the Missing People website and make a donation>>>