THE son of a woman who went missing while on holiday in Lanzarote has been leading a search party made up of 13 Ramsbottom relatives.

Margaret Holt, 65, has not been seen since December 23 when she went out walking.

Her son and daughter-in-law, Ben and Clare Riley, of Simms Close, Ramsbottom, raised the alarm when she failed to contact them on Christmas Day and a massive search of the holiday island got under way.

No sightings of Mrs Holt have been reported, but her family believe she may have fallen and they are still hopeful that she will be found.

A nationwide appeal has also been orchestrated to seek the help of people who might have returned from a holiday in Lanzarote and could have seen her.

Clare’s cousin, Vicky Walmsley, from Bury said: “All the family has been in Lanzarote searching for her.

"At one point there were 13 members of the family there, as well as search teams from the police and ex-pats who have organised their own search. Ben and Clare were very reluctant to come home without Margaret.

"They have searched the whole island and there is nothing more they can do.”

Mrs Holt, who comes from The Wirral, was a fit, experienced hiker and had gone out walking for the day.

She was last seen in the Orzola region of the island as she headed back to her hotel after going out walking.

Her son Ben, 36, contacted the hotel on Christmas Day and staff confirmed her hotel room had not been used for two days.

Her personal belongings, including her passport, money and cards, were all in the room. He flew out to Lanzarote on Boxing Day and was joined by family members from across Bury.

A Spanish search and rescue team initially helped to look for Mrs Holt, though their operation was withdrawn after 72 hours.

Her relatives and people living in Lanzarote have continued the search, with support from the Red Cross and the British Consulate.

The search is continuing in Lanzarote and Mrs Holt’s family in the UK are using social networks such as Twitter and Facebook to raise awareness.