Forty Years Later, Daughter Born Out of Wedlock Brought Parents Back Together

Forty years ago, Christine Orchard and Chester Locke met at a youth club and fell in love. They had a child out of wedlock and were forced apart by Christine’s parents.

Tracey Orchard, the daughter they had together, spent the last 12 years looking for her father after the death of her grandparents. The story has a happy ending: Christine and Chester fell in love all over again and are now set to wed!

Mrs Orchard told BBC Points West she was delighted to be marrying her childhood sweetheart after social stigma kept them apart for so long.

The former shop assistant said: "Being an unmarried mother back in the 1960s was still frowned upon. My parents decided they would bring the baby up but I had to sever all contact with Chester."

Tracey Orchard said her first motivation for the search was to dispel rumours that her father was a "waste of space". She was amazed when the romance rekindled so quickly.

She said: "My intention was to get him to meet his grandchildren and great-grandchild. I’m shocked but it is lovely. It’s wonderful to see them where they should have been 40 years ago."

Mr Locke, who works in a saw mill, joked: "I’m a bit angry at her for making me wait!"

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