THE mother of missing Jenny Nicholl will today wish her daughter happy birthday - and make a public appeal for her to come home.

Ann Nicholl will unveil two 8ft banners on her daughter's 20th birthday as part of a series of fresh attempts to find out what has happened to her.

DJs on local radio stations will play the music lover's favourite song, The Wind Cries Mary, by Jimi Hendrix, in the hope that she hears it.

Mrs Nicholl and her husband, Brian, have also taken out an advert in a local free newspaper to appeal for information.

The couple have not seen Miss Nicholl since she left the family home in Richmond, North Yorkshire, just over three months ago.

Mrs Nicholl said: "The message to Jenny is that we wish her a happy birthday wherever she is, that she is not in trouble of any sort, that we love and miss her, and that we want her to call us right now.

"It's a simple message - Jenny, just ring us."

Last night, Miss Nicholl's friends from The Talbot Hotel pool team spoke of their sadness.

Darren King, 32, of Richmond, said: "We're playing away at Richmond Cricket Club tonight and we would love to see her there.

"The first few weeks after she disappeared, we thought she was likely to turn up on a Thursday ready to play pool."

Simon Dowse, 29, of Richmond, said: "We would like to think she's disappeared off somewhere and she's now too scared to come back."

One banner will be erected outside the Co-op, where Miss Nicholl worked until her disappearance on June 30, in Queen's Road, Richmond.

A spokesman for the store said: "We would love to see Jenny safe and well and back at work.

"We will do anything we can to help find her. Hopefully, this new appeal for information will help focus public attention.

"The staff would love to hear some good news."

Another banner will be unveiled near the town's Georgian Theatre.

The banners read: "Happy Birthday Jenny. Jenny Nicholl is still missing - can you help? Witness Line (01423) 539334."

The banners feature a picture of a guitar, Miss Nicholl's favourite instrument.

Detective Inspector Pete Martin said police were still trying to build up a picture of Miss Nicholl's movements in the days between June 27 and July 4, the day she was reported missing.

He said: "Jenny should be celebrating her birthday with her family.

"Instead, they have had three months of stress and anxiety and the police have had three months of intensive effort to find her.

"I am convinced that someone out there can give us the one piece of information that will tell us where Jenny Nicholl is, and I am asking them to call today on (01423) 539334, anonymously if they prefer."

Det Insp Martin pledged that the police investigation would continue, adding: "There are still gaps in that week and I need answers to these questions. Did you see Jenny that week? Who was she with? Where was she? Why was her car left at the Holly Hill pub on the outskirts of Richmond? When was it left there and what had drawn Jenny to that area on a number of occasions? Was she visiting or meeting someone whom we haven't interviewed yet?"

Miss Nicholl is 5ft 6in and slim. She has green eyes, a fresh complexion and light-brown shoulder-length hair, which she prefers to wear in a ponytail.

When she left home, she was believed to have been carrying a dark grey rucksack, with black straps, and may have taken a silver CD/cassette/radio.