A Swansea Valley woman who was adopted as a baby spent 13 years trying to find her biological mother - and then traced her through a single phone call.

Angela Ash, aged 54, had always wanted to find her mum but waited until her adoptive mother died to spare her feelings.

But when she began her search in 1989 she discovered all her adoption records had been lost, and years of frustration followed as she tried in vain to track down her mother.

Angela, of Grove Road in Clydach, didn't even know if her mum was still alive. All she knew was her maiden name - Maud Connell - and where her mother had given birth to her - Liverpool.

When all official pathways turned into blind alleys, Angela's partner, John Burrell, decided to try a Liverpool phone book, even though the task seemed like the proverbial needle in a haystack.

"Connell is a very common name in Liverpool, like Jones is in Swansea," said Angela.
"I guessed my mother would have probably married and changed her name, but we hoped to at least find a member of her family."

To their amazement the first Connell they telephoned turned out to be one of Maud's brothers. Angela could not believe her luck, but it was not yet to be a happy ending.

Her mother had been unmarried when she fell pregnant with Angela, and forced by her parents to give the baby up at 10 days old. Maud later married and had a son, Paul, but she never told him about his half-sister, adopted by a couple in Swansea.

Now aged 81 and suffering from severe arthritis, Maud was terrified about upsetting Paul, her full-time carer, and refused to see Angela.

"I was very upset," said Angela.
"I was staying in North Wales where my boyfriend John works and when my mother wouldn't see me I just went home on the Monday in desperation."

However, within days her half-brother unexpectedly made contact and urged Angela to return to Liverpool.

Maud had been so upset after Angela's contact, that her son kept asking her what was wrong. She told him, and he immediately set about arranging a reconciliation between mother and daughter.

"He has been great, he is so lovely," said Angela.
"I went back to Liverpool to meet her, and I was absolutely petrified.
"It was so emotional, I can't begin to explain how I felt. But there was such a sense of relief about meeting my mother who I hadn't seen for 54 years."

That was in May and Angela has returned to Liverpool four times to visit her mother and catch up on the lost decades.

At the end of the month Maud will visit Clydach for the first time, and meet members of Angela's family, including her grandchildren Stephen, aged 35, and Helena, aged 31.

Helena, who also lives in Grove Road, is expecting in two weeks' time, and if the baby comes on time will be a great-grandchild for Maud to meet.

"It is a such a happy time in my life, I can't wait for my mother to visit us," said Angela.
"I am so glad I found her while she was still alive, and that we have this precious time together."