Donations to Jay Slater fund partly used to support volunteer searchers

Jay Slater went missing on the Spanish island last month (family handout/LBT Global/PA)

The mother of missing Briton Jay Slater has said donations will be used to support volunteers helping to find her son in Tenerife.

The 19-year-old, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, disappeared after setting off to walk back to his accommodation on the holiday island on June 17.

In a statement on the GoFundMe appeal Get Jay Slater Home, which had raised almost £50,000 as of Wednesday, Debbie Duncan thanked the “vast” generosity of donors, saying her family are “grateful for all of your support and kindness during this unimaginable time”.

Ms Duncan wrote that part of the funds will be used to support volunteers hunting for Mr Slater in the mountains near to where his last phone call was traced.

She went on: “We are currently looking after Paul Arnett, putting together a package of any equipment and essentials he needs and going up to do a drop for him.

“We are also supporting Callum Fahim and his group with accommodation and other essentials.”

The remaining money will be used to support rescue teams, Ms Duncan said, as well as her family’s “own expenses as we remain in Tenerife looking for our boy”.

She added: “We will continue to keep you all updated on the progress on our GoFundMe page, and we thank you for your continued support. Please keep sharing and supporting our fundraiser to help us bring Jay home.”

Tenerife’s Guardia Civil has called off the search for the apprentice bricklayer after helicopters, drones and search dogs were deployed to find him.

The search in the village of Masca, near his last-known location, took in a steep rocky area, including ravines, trails and paths.

Mr Slater had attended the NRG music festival with two friends before his disappearance, and his last known location was the Rural de Teno Park in the north of the Canary Island – which was about an 11-hour walk from his accommodation.

He had travelled to an Airbnb in Masca and the two men said to have rented the property were later ruled “not relevant” to the case, according to reports.