A CLEVEDON woman who has been searching for her half-sister for more than 40 years has been reunited with her at last.

A CLEVEDON woman who has been searching for her half-sister for more than 40 years has been reunited with her at last.

Pamela Fear, aged 62, had known about her mother's baby since she was 13 years old, and has also wanted to meet her.

In an article in a January edition of our sister paper, The Weston & Somerset Mercury, long lost sister Diane Elsmore, who only lives 20 miles away in Highbridge, said she was looking for any surviving relatives, after she was informally adopted as a baby.

Diane, aged 70, was trying to track down her birth mother and any siblings who may be living in Weston.

Just a few weeks later, Diane, who was named Sheila Harroway on her birth certificate, found her half-sister Pamela Fear.

After an anonymous phone call to the Weston & Somerset Mercury, we found out Diane's mother, Alma Coombes, had stayed in Cherry Orchard Residential Care in Clevedon, but had sadly died a few years ago.

The nursing home was able to pass a message on to Alma's daughter Pamela and she was soon on the phone to Diane.

Pamela said: "My auntie had told me my mother had had another baby and that she was born in Westonzoyland.

"When I had a knee operation in December 2006 I was off work for a few months and decided this would be the perfect time to try and track her down.

"I went to agencies, libraries and record offices but couldn't find anything out.

"When I was growing up I always wanted a brother or sister to play with."

Pamela, who lives near the nursing home in Cherry Avenue in Clevedon, went to school in Weston and often took trips to Burnham, just a few miles from where Diane now lives.

Diane, of Southwell Crescent in Highbridge, said: "I've lived in Highbridge for the last year and cannot believe I was just 20 miles away."

Diane only had her birth certificate and a few details to go on when searching for her relatives. She knew her mother had been a hairdresser in Weston and been 17 or 18 years old when she became pregnant.

The couple that raised Diane said her father's name was Lesley Harroway and he ran a furniture shop in St James Street in Weston.

Anyone who may have information about the father's side of the family can email newsdesk@thewestonmercury.co.uk

*To see a video interview of Pamela and Diane visit www.thewestonmercury.co.uk