THE family of a man from near York who mysteriously vanished almost nine years ago are offering a £10,000 reward in a bid to finally discover what happened to him.

Simon Hodgson-Greaves, then 48, of Riccall, went missing in December 2013 after an RSPB staff member found his camper van parked at Bempton Cliffs on the Yorkshire Coast.

Extensive police searches failed to locate him, and nor did they find any evidence that he took his own life, such as a note, says his sister Rachel Pickthall.

"It was as if he was abducted by aliens or disappeared into thin air," she said.

She said their mother Gail Greaves was now 82 and was desperate to know what happened to her son given her advancing years.

“We have been searching for Simon with the help of the police, the Missing People charity and the media continuously since he disappeared, but without any success," she said.

"So I got together with my sister recently and we decided as a family to offer the reward in the hope it might result in some vital evidence coming to light.

“We’d like anyone with any information to please contact North Yorkshire Police on 101 quoting reference 121 302 204 62. They have said they are happy to receive such information.

"The £10,000 reward is for information leading to Simon being found. We accept that he might not be found alive."

Rachel said it seemed there were four possible explanations for Simon's disappearance.

"He may have chosen to go missing, he may have had an accident while out walking, he may have taken his own life and he may have fallen victim to a crime of some sort," she said.

She did not think it was by any means clear that he had taken his own life, for example by jumping off the cliffs: there had been no prior indications of suicidal intent, and no note or any other evidence had been found during extensive searches by police and mountain rescue teams.

People in the RSPB had told the family there always tended to be evidence when things like that happened.

She said it was quite possible that Simon had just decided to 'take a bit of time out and sort himself out and start a new life.'

Rachel revealed that through the Missing People charity the family had got to know Peter Lawrence, father of missing York chef Claudia Lawrence, in the years before his death in 2021, and he and the charity had been a great support to them.

She said she had appeared on Steph's Packed Lunch programme on Channel 4 last week to take the family's appeal nationwide with the support of the police.

If Simon was alive, she wanted to let him realise the family were looking for him and wanted him back, and would like him to make contact in some way to let them know he is safe.

“We all want Simon back in our lives, but if he isn't ready we are more than happy for him just to let us know he is OK,” she said. “Or if someone else knows something, for them to just make contact and let us know."

Inspector Martin Wedgwood, who has been involved in the investigation into Simon’s disappearance, said today that the passing of time - very sadly - did 'nothing to dull the pain that his family feel every day, wondering where he is and if he is safe.'

He said: “Despite the extensive searches and numerous enquiries conducted by North Yorkshire Police at the time Simon went missing, we have been unable to locate him safe and well or offer any answers to his family.

“Until Simon himself or those answers are found, our missing person enquiry will never close. We will always act upon new information that is reported to us and follow-up all lines of enquiry.

“So if there is anyone out there who has any information which would assist our investigation, please report it to us on 101 quoting reference 12130220462 or to the Missing People charity - www.missingpeople.org.uk

“You may just provide the missing piece of information, which will enable us to bring about a much needed conclusion for Simon’s family.”