STUART Clark has been missing a year but his clothes are washed and ironed and his beloved childhood teddy bear awaits his return to his Dalmuir flat.

Twin brother Iain is realistic after 12 months but still asks out loud: “Where are you?” every night before bed. His brother’s photo sits on the side of his fridge so he sees his face every day.

Iain has been missing Stuart daily but particularly during a recent stint in hospital where he had 10 days in intensive care. When Iain had previously needed medical treatment, Stuart would appear with a thermos of soup or check with nurses what he was allowed to feed to his brother.

“His flat still has his belongings,” explained Iain. “We have kept his precious belongings, photos, his clothes and his teddy bear. I have washed and ironed everything waiting on him.

“I physically can’t get up to the flat to go through Stuart’s things. It is cathartic.

“Every time I go into the kitchen the picture of Stuart is there. I’m not saying it doesn’t bring a lump to the throat. It was rather a subdued Christmas.”

Iain, of Benbow Road, spoke to Stuart 10 minutes before he went missing on January 17. He was about to have lunch with a friend in Parkhall and she still struggles with his disappearance.

The twins’ 60th birthday last August was another difficult date and Iain admitted he expects the anniversary to be equally difficult. It’s the not knowing that’s the worst.

“I would imagine the anniversary will be difficult,” said Iain. “This is the day, one year ago, when I spoke to him and 10 minutes later he left.

“I missed Stuart’s visits to hospital, particularly when I was told things were not looking good for me. Stuart had a natural counselling nature.

“Sometimes on afternoon visiting, when the other three beds had people, I would have appreciated a visit from Stuart.”

Stuart went missing in August 2015 and then again in October when he left a note that prompted a police appeal. But he was found safe.

Stuart moved to London in his 20s and, through a partner, joined an interior design firm. He had no training, but he picked up the trade and went to work in North America, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, even designing for a luxury yacht in Monte Carlo.

But Stuart also lost two partners to illness, having nursed them both, and took the death of his mother very hard.

He had returned to Scotland and was a carer for his mother before she was hospitalised and worked for the charity Alzheimer Scotland. He himself went into hospital, missed her funeral and went into a deep depression.

On his birthday last summer, Clydebank’s Alzheimer Scotland Dementia Centre in Miller Street held a celebration with staff and volunteers to show they were still thinking of him and missed the care and support he showed others.

Iain has had contact from a number of Stuart’s former design clients about how they still desperately miss him.

Along with brothers Peter and Michael and Iain’s wife Liz, the family have praised Police Scotland for their dedication to finding Stuart, and expressed their gratitude to the force as well as to friends and colleagues who have kept him in their thoughts.

Inspector David Quinn said: “Stuart has now been missing for a year and this is clearly a very difficult time for his family.

“Despite an extensive police enquiry involving specialist resources and local officers, the last sighting of Stuart was entering the common close to his home address around 12.30pm on Sunday, January 17, 2016. “The enquiry into Stuart’s whereabouts is still active and I ask anyone with any information which may help locate Stuart to call Clydebank Community Policing Team on 101.”

Iain says his hope is mixed with realism after a year.

“You don’t get past missing him,” he said. “Someone will say something or you watch TV and it immediately comes back. The fact remains we don’t know what happened to him – that’s the hardest part.”