The tears flowed when two sisters met for the first time in 63 years - thanks to The Gazette.

Phyllis Tierney from Lytham and Jean Hopper from Salisbury spent the afternoon reminiscing about the past and their family tree.

Jean had written to The Gazette two weeks ago asking readers for any information they may have had into the whereabouts of her elder sister.

The two were split up as youngsters, with Phyllis spending most of her youth in Germany and Hampshire before moving to the Fylde coast when she married many years ago.

Jean grew up in Guernsey before moving to Salisbury where she discovered for the first time last year that she had five half brothers and sisters.

That was when she wrote to The Gazette where her letter was spotted by Phyllis and the two made contact for the first time.

At the weekend, the two women and their families finally came face to face at the Chadwick Hotel in St Annes. Phyllis, 75, said: "The day went very well indeed and it was so lovely to finally meet the sister I never knew I had. At first it was very bewildering for me because I was meeting somebody I never knew existed but after spending time with Jean it was obvious we were related because we are so alike."

The two sisters spent the afternoon retracing their family trees and found that they could be traced back to the 17th Century.

Jean, who travelled up to see her sister with husband Harry and her two sons, said: "I must admit that I was very tense before meeting Phyllis but after a while it was all right. There were plenty of tears from both sides because it has been so long."

Jean is hoping that her search will also help her to trace her other long-lost brothers and sisters. She said: "Phyllis and I are hoping to trace our brother, Leonard, who was last seen in Portland, Dorset."