"Thank you for finding my children"

From the archive, first published Monday 26th Mar 2007.

A mother is set to be re-united with her long-lost children following an appeal in the Telegraph & Argus.

Marie Tordoff, 54, wept tears of joy when she discovered her children, Hayley Griffin, 28, and Darren Grey, 30, who now live in Canada, were trying to find her after more than 20 years apart.

Mrs Tordoff, who last lived with her children in Bradford, but now lives in Barnsley, was contacted by her mother who had seen the story in Saturday's T&A.

She said: "My mum Dorothy, who still lives in Bradford, phoned me on Sunday morning and said your kids are looking for you'.

"I just started crying. I knew they would find me one day. I am so pleased, I just wish I could get hold of them."

Mrs Tordoff, a home-carer, was also delighted to discover she is a grandmother-of-four with more on the way.

Hayley, who is pregnant, has a son and Darren, whose wife is also pregnant, has three daughters.

The family was torn apart after Marie and her husband, Edward Grey, who was in the Royal Navy, split up. Marie and her children moved to Bradford from Germany.

Not long after, their father was given custody of Darren and then got joint custody of Hayley and she went to live with him.

Darren and Hayley then lived in Somerset and would sometimes see their mum, but Marie said their visits became less frequent.

She said: "They would come and visit me now and again, but their visits got fewer and fewer. I didn't even know their father had taken them to Canada at the time. I found out later, but I didn't know whether they were still there."

She added: "I certainly do want to see them, I love them both so very much. I have always thought about them. I have still got their birth certificates and photographs. I just want them to get in touch as soon as possible. I would like to say a big thank you to the T&A for helping my children to find me."

Her children, who live in Calgary, Alberta, contacted the T&A, after their own searches had come to nothing.

All they had been able to find out was their mum's last address had been in Oswaldthorpe Avenue, Laisterdyke.

Mrs Tordoff moved to Hoyland Common in Barnsley with her new husband, David, in 2000.

The T&A has now passed on her contact details to her children.