Anguish of missing paraglider's parents

Joel Kitchen had been tandem cycling to India

The parents of the paraglider who disappeared in the Himalayas have spoken of their emotions on visiting the spot where he was last seen.

Joel Kitchen, 25, of Brightlingsea in Essex, disappeared more than two weeks ago during a flight in Himachal Pradesh in northern India.

His parents, Bill and Angie Kitchen, are spending their life savings on travelling to the region and searching for their son.

In a tearful interview with BBC Radio 4's Jill McGivering, Bill Kitchen said that being in the area had made a difference for the couple.

We haven't got a bottomless bank balance - we've just got our own hearts and our love for him

Bill Kitchen

He said: "Our heads and our hearts have got more of a picture of what Joel was enjoying and why he came here, why his postcard that never got posted sounded so upbeat and joyful.

"It is a wonderful place and he was full of the joys of life, so it would seem.

"Standing on the very spot where he took off was an incredibly emotional moment for the two of us.

"It has meant more to us, it was certainly necessary for us to be here."

Mr Kitchen's mother Angie said the trip had brought practical benefits too.

Bill and Angie Kitchen: "Necessary for us to be here."

"Since we have met with the superintendent we feel as though things have starting moving."

However, she admitted the scale of the task was daunting.

"This is a poor country and in some ways when you see the billions of people everywhere you think - 'We are just looking for one person.'"

The couple also explained how the search in the remote region of the Kangra Valley has progressed so far.

Mr Kitchen, a chef, was last seen at 11,000 feet - just before he was enveloped in cloud as the weather changed unexpectedly.

His girlfriend and travel partner, Lucie Wallace, is also helping oversee the rescue operation.

Mr Kitchen (senior) said: "They've completed as much as they think they can of the aerial search.

"We've had helicopters privately hired and so forth.

The Himalayas provide spectacular paragliding

"The search is now much more concentrated on the tree-lined slopes and some of the deeper gullies in particular that have been hard to get to.

"We're hoping to get the use of a powered paraglider which apparently can get into some quite intricate places."

The couple have offered a reward of about £1,000 for information that helps find Joel.

They have received financial help for the rescue operation from a vitamins manufacturer who heard of their plight.

Mr Kitchen said: "We haven't got a bottomless bank balance.

"We've just got our own hearts and our love for him."