Jay Slater's mother says donations will go towards funding continuing search to find him
Granada Reports' Andy Bonner has been to Jay's home town of Oswaldtwistle
The mother of missing teenager Jay Slater says 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 17 June.
In a statement on the GoFundMe appeal Get Jay Slater Home, which has raised almost £50,000, 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 posted 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, was in challenging terrain and took in a steep rocky area, including ravines, trails and paths.
In a statement released through British overseas missing persons charity LBT Global, Ms Duncan said “words cannot describe the pain and agony we are experiencing” after searches failed to trace the missing 19-year-old.
She praised Spanish police force the Guardia Civil for working "tirelessly" to find her son, but she added she was "aware" of speculation and conspiracy theories around Jay's disappearance, describing them as "vile".
Jay 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.