Brother and sister in emotional reunion
WHEN Barry Shutts opened his post one morning the last thing he expected to find was a trail which led to his long-lost sister.But today, Mr Shutts, of Bramford Lane, Ipswich, has been reunited with the sibling he had not spoken to for 27 years.
WHEN Barry Shutts opened his post one morning the last thing he expected to find was a trail which led to his long-lost sister.
But today, Mr Shutts, of Bramford Lane, Ipswich, has been reunited with the sibling he had not spoken to for 27 years.
The pair were separated as children when his sister Maria Hammett, then five, was taken into social care.
It was Mrs Hammett's internet-loving husband Bill who brought the pair back together when he traced Mr Shutts on the web.
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Mr Shutts, who grew up in Southend, said: “It's amazing having her back in my life.
“From the first time we spoke it wasn't awkward. During the first phone call I told her how much I missed her, that I still thought of her as my little sister, and we were reminiscing.
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“We met up a few days later.”
The pair have another sister, Dawn, 36, of Witham, who was also reunited with Maria, 32, along with the siblings' parents Clifford Shutts and Janet Goodman, both of Southend.
When they spoke, Mr Shutts, a 38-year-old electrician, discovered he also had three nieces and a nephew he did not know about.
Likewise, Mrs Hammett, of Clacton, has now met with Mr Shutt's daughter Paige, 3, and his partner Hayley Brown.
Mr Shutt's said: “Maria's husband went on the internet and looked at the electoral roll and births, deaths and marriages.
“He traced me, Dawn and my dad and we all got letters on the same day saying he thought we were related to his wife and asking us to ring him.
“My first reaction was it was a wind-up, I couldn't believe it. I rang Bill and later spoke to my sister and we've since met up several times.”
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