ON the ninth anniversary of the disappearance of Skipton man Rory Johnson-Hatfield, his sister has said how his family will never give up hope he will one day return.

Rory, who was 29 when he went missing, vanished without trace during a night out with friends in York. He had left Skipton by train on November 19, 2015, and was last seen in the city in the early hours of November 20.

Despite extensive searches through CCTV footage, speaking to people, river searches, and door-to-door inquiries, no information about his whereabouts or what happened that night has ever been found.

His father, Doug, who used to run Brody's restaurant in Skipton, and who now lives in France with his wife, Charlotte, and Rory's mother, Liz, who lives in Lytham St Annes, have never given up hope that Rory will be found.

The family set up a Facebook page 'Rory Johnson Hatfield is Missing', which has nearly 20,000 members, and continues to urge people to contact the police with any information about his disappearance.

His sister, Ariana Hatfield, posted that the family was always thinking about Rory and had raised a glass to him in celebration of his 38th birthday on October 26.

She said: "We are always thinking of you and you are always with us in some way. You are in the empty stare and sadness in daddy's eyes but also in that glimmer of hope that we will reunite and our family will be complete again one day. Know that without realising, you are always with each one of us in so many ways.

"We will be raising a glass to you as we smile and talk about the times we all once shared together, as a family with new members that know all about you, and that I hope you will have the pleasure of meeting one day."

Doug and Charlotte told the Telegraph & Argus's sister paper the Craven Herald it was hard to believe it was the ninth year of Rory's trip to York and his subsequent mysterious and tragic disappearance.

"The impact on us all remains incredibly sad and has changed the course of our lives in such a way its difficult to find the words to describe our loss. We remain hopeful of someone coming forward with any information which may just give us the breakthrough we all desperately need," they said.

The family says they know Rory is still remembered in Skipton and the Dales; Doug recalls how he was once known as "Doug from Brody's"; and then as "Rory's dad" once Rory made his own mark in Skipton.

Anyone with any information surrounding Rory’s disappearance, is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, quoting reference 121 5020 7141. Information can also be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555; or via its website at: www.crimestoppers-uk.org