Lynne and David Wrights adopted their first child 15 years ago. Now, aged 47, they're new parents all over again to four-year-old twins Amy and Kirsty, both of whom have learning difficulties.

So what prompted the couple to go through the adoption roller coaster not once but twice?

"I grew up in a very close family, very caring, and I never dreamt I would be unable to conceive," admits Lynne.

"Some couples can plan when they want to have babies, but we weren't able to. I craved children - there was an emptiness that desperately needed to be filled," she says.

Applying to adopt was Lynne's last hope of having a family of her own.

"My fear was that I'd be turned down. There was no other way for me to have a family and I felt as if my life was in the hands of social workers," explains Lynne.

Fortunately, the couple were eventually able to adopt their now 15-year-old daughter.

Deciding to go through the process all over again with Amy and Kirsty wasn't easy, but Lynne feels it was absolutely right.

"I feel fulfilled now. My family is complete," she says.

Even so, the three year wait between deciding to adopt the twins and them arriving at their new home was an anxious time.

"We had done it once so we knew we would get another child, but it took longer the second time. The most frustrating thing is the time it takes, but you have got to be patient - which is easy for me to say, I was climbing up the walls," laughs Lynne.

Meeting the twins for the first time was nerve-wracking.
"When you have a child in front of you and they're a total stranger it's quite a shock first of all," admits Lynne.

"But then something will happen, maybe they'll fall over, and suddenly this maternal instinct thing leaps out and takes over," she says.

It's usually the adults, not the children, who take time to adjust.

"My other daughter had only seen photos of us when we first met her. She flew down the path when we arrived shouting mummy and daddy!

"It is quite awesome when a child accepts you so instantly. I'm not saying you can't have problems, for example they might accept one parent and not the other initially," explains Lynne.

She has been amazed at how quickly the twins have adopted to their new life.

"You take a child you've not known since they were born, they can come into your home and they start to talk like you, act like you and people say they look like you.

"No one should ever have any worries about a child fitting in. It's really wonderful.