FUND ACCOUNTS 2007 - MARCH 2008: THE WEBSITES
CHRONOLOGY OF WEBSITES REGISTRATION:
day 6 - 11th may 07: 1st official website launched as
www.bringmadeleinehome.com
day 13- 16th may 07
2nd official website registered as: www.findmadeleine.com
Linked to: www.bringmadeleinehome. com
(day 15 - 18th may 07 -Trade mark filing date for Madeleine’s Fund - leaving no stone unturned Trademark nr. 2456061)
Note: to use the word ‘Fund’ special permission has to be granted - this too, in view of the quick incorporation of the Ltd. Co. has been achieved in just a few days, which included a weekend and bank holiday. From Companies House website: FUND: You cannot use this word unless the body shown below confirms (by letter or email) SensitiveBusinessn@FCA.Org.UK
day 23 - 26th may 07
3rd official website registered as
www.cuddlecat.co.uk - linked to
www.findmadeleine.com - linked to
www.bringmadeleinehome.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BRINGMADELEINEHOME.COM
Infohost was contacted by Philomena McCann on the 6th of May.
Admin contact: MacRae, Cameron - Ullapool.
UK reg service provider: domains@fasthosts.co.uk
Registrar of Record TUCOWS. INC.
Record last updated on 11 May 2007
Domain servers NS3/NS2/NS1 LIVEDNS.CO.UK
----------------
Registration Service provider:
Fasthosts Internet Limited, domains@fasthosts.co.uk
Registrar of Record TUCOWS. INC
Record last updated on 11 April 2013
Record expires 11 May 2014
(Same servers)
The website was created on the 11th, live on the 13th and fully functioning with bank account details published by the 17th - the day of the launch of the Fund.
(A title which may have been inspired by the ‘Bring him home’ song from Les Miserables which was popular at the time).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FINDMADELEINE.COM
In conjunction, the website is relaunched under the new name www.findmadeleine.com, although this is not officially announced until the next day, 17 May 2007.
According to the McCanns interview with Steve Boggan in the Guardian, the domain name 'findmadeleine.com' was originally purchased by a stranger in France and then donated to the family. (http://www.mccannfiles.com/id58.html)
It has it’s own web content on the 11th of May and links to CEOP as official page, but a few days later it links to bringmadeleinehome.com
However, Jon Corner registers findmadeleine.org on the 14th of May 2007:
Domain ID:D145995330-LROR
Domain Name: FINDMADELEINE.ORG
Created ON: 14-May-2007 14:31:24 UTC
Last Updated on: 14-May-2009 16:18:36 UTC
Expiration Date: 14-May-2010 14:31:24 UTC
Sponsoring Registrar:Tuscows Inc (R11-LROR)
Registrant Name: Jon Corner
FINDMADELEINE.COM changes servers in 2013:
Domain Name: FINDMADELEINE.COM
Registrar: GODADDY.COM, LLC
Whois Server: whois.godaddy.com
Referral URL: http://registrar.godaddy.com
Name Server: PDNS03.DOMAINCONTROL.COM
Name Server: PDNS04.DOMAINCONTROL.COM
Status: clientDeleteProhibited
Status: clientRenewProhibited
Status: clientTransferProhibited
Status: clientUpdateProhibited
Updated Date: 03-may-2013
Creation Date: 10-may-2007
Expiration Date: 10-may-2015
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CUDDLECAT.CO.UK
Despite the supposed creation date of 26th of May cuddlecat.co.uk doesn’t have any archived history, first archive is June 12th, 2008 where it links to bringmadeleinehome.
It seemed to change hands in December 2013 which is also the date that the McCanns changed servers of the main website: findmadeleine.com
(In January 2008 there are in any case more than 40 cuddlecats connected with the case:
Daily Mail: 25 January 2008:
Método 3, whose contract expires in March, has 40 investigators working on the case, here and in Portugal and Spain. Each has a replica of Cuddle Cat, Madeleine's favourite toy, which they are encouraged to squeeze when they feel demotivated at the size of their task. unquote)
Page of the new website:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This screenshot is of some interest. The website had been live for 7 days on the 18th of May 2007, yet it tells us that more than 40 million hits have been processed by the servers NS1, NS2 and NS3. This must surely be a record.
Michael Wright (see below) tells us that on the 18th - he is reading out the press release during the day - there were 5 million hits - as the website above is updated at 01.20 AM, that would make it a total of 45 million in less than 8 days.
Note also that the name Madenleine underneath the photograph of the eye defect that was never 'made much of' according to the parents (see post The Logic Gates) is a typing error. Something one would not expect a professional website designer to do, but is quite understandable if that wasn't the case.
Apart from the 40 million views, it is interesting that at this date the counter for the mobile phone donations is displayed, giving the total received.
DONATIONS: (listed on the official website)
By phone:
Text "MADDIE" to 60999 and £1 will be taken from your phone for the Madeleine Fund.
Over the counter:any branch of NatWest and The Royal Bank of Scotland.
Postal Donations can be made with cheques payable to 'Madeleine's Fund :
Cheques should be posted to the following address:‘Madeleine’s Fund’
c/o International Family Law Group, 26 Southampton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7RS
Internet donations - via NatWest bank
Instant donations can now be made via Paypal
Internet banking donations from abroad - IBAN BIC nr etc.
Donations From Ireland:
Allied Irish Bank (AIB)
Account number: 07511020 Madeleine McCann account
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From the above accounts it can be seen that over the period May 2007 - March 2008, the costs of the website is listed as £ 37071,-. Which seems a little expensive considering that it is apparently run from a garage in Ullapool by a family member and enthusiastic teenagers. The cost of a professionally designed website isn’t likely to be much more than £ 3000,- in this case.
The information that the findmadeleine.com’ was donated by a person in France and that this domain name was then used for the official site is rather puzzling.
To confuse matters further, the email address for the campaign is linked to bringmadeleinehome.com (see transcript below).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On the 18th of May 2007 Michael Wright presented this press release:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyZMF7RFScs
Gerry and Kate have asked me to give you an idea of the spread and scale of the campaign and the huge response to the fund that was officially launched yesterday.
Let me start by saying that Gerry and Kate are taking immense strength from the support and the good wishes they are receiving from all over the world.
They have been totally overwhelmed by offers from individuals, small companies and large multi-national corporations. Both of them are firmly fixed on the campaign which is designed to raise Madeleine’s profile right across Europe and ensure we bring her home safely.
Their purpose is to turn hope into action, whilst none of us are experts in campaigning the situation we have found ourselves in has galvanised us into action and made us think creatively.
We are leaving no stone unturned and we have a huge number of partners who are helping us to that from sporting celebrities to big business. Top of the list are the UK and Portuguese media in particular who have played a huge part in maintaining the profile of this case and the awareness of Madeleine.
We need your continued support and now need to increase the coverage right across Europe.
Our campaign has started with an expansive poster distribution across Europe and our partners include multi nationals from the oil, banking, telecoms and retail sectors. Other multi national companieshave already started to include Madeleine’s image on every outgoing email.
The response to yesterday’s launch has been huge. The official website has received over 5 million hits today and the scale of response has brought some difficulties and they are being dealt with.
But this is just the start, each day brings more offers of help and new ideas we are open to anything that will bring Madeleine home.
I anyone wants to offer practical help we can be reached at : campaign@bringmadeleinehome.com. Thank you. unquote
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Points which are communicated although not necessarily correct:
the ‘partners’ of TM must include Beckham for one, as well as the other football and rugby celebrities mentioned. None of these appear to have continued their ‘partnership’ with TM. Although it is interesting that according to the press release on the 16th the Fund was launched by a Rugby Captain and a photograph of Madeleine wearing an Everton T-shirt was released fairly soon after that date, calling to mind the iconic and tragic photo of the two Soham girls.
It is merely my opinion that the unnamed ‘multi-national companies’ and in particular those who apparently undertook to send a photograph of Madeleine with every email would surely not have objected to have their names mentioned?