Adopted Man Uncovers Biological Family with Ancestry DNA Kit

AFTER years of wondering about his adopted family, Andy King (54) from Birkenhead, Merseyside, discovered his biological father after taking an AncestryDNA® test. Andy King was born in Birkenhead, in May 1968, and was adopted from birth. He was always aware that he had been adopted, but unfortunately his adoptive father passed away before his second birthday, so he was brought up solely by his adoptive mother. Andy didn't wish to find out more about his biological mother until his adoptive mother passed away:- "There was every chance I could have walked past my mother at some stage of my life, and I thought about it often throughout my life, wondering if we would ever cross paths." Once she passed away Andy decided to register Ancestry to track down his birth mother Patricia. After not receiving all the answers he hoped for from his Birth Mother, Andy almost gave up his search for his family. However, Andy received an AncestryDNA kit as a Christmas present, in December 2021, and submitted a DNA test in a last attempt at finding out more about his Biological Father.

Andy explains:- "I must admit I was a bit sceptical, as I didn't fully comprehend exactly what information my DNA could reveal, and how it linked up with other relatives who had registered their DNA, but I sent off my sample and waited. I often thought about my real Dad, where was he from, was he still alive? Did he even know I existed? Had he tried to look for me if he did know? I had a thousand unanswered questions. I could not believe my luck when I received a match. My strongest match appeared, it was a first cousin Stephen on my Father's side. With the aid of a 3rd cousin who I had matched DNA with who shared his Ancestry  family tree with me containing over 3,400 people. I was able to narrow my search down to just a few people! With further digging I sent an email to who I thought might help me explaining my situation and who my Mother was and how I was trying to find my Father. Within an hour or so I received a call from a man named Stephen saying he had seen my emails and said, it's me who you are looking for, I'm your dad. Overnight I had gone from my dad potentially being a male from anywhere in the world, to knowing who my family was. I knew then, after 54 years of not knowing anything about my dad whatsoever, I was now getting close to meeting him thanks to Ancestry. He had been in a brief relationship with my Birth Mother when she was away at College in Shropshire, near Newport where he lived. That is how they met, and he confirmed he did know about me, but my Birth mMther's parents told him not to show his face or contact their Daughter ever again. He did see me the day after I was born, before I was given away to my adopted parents, but he was not allowed by the Hospital to hold me or anything. My dad had offered to try and make a go of it with Pat, and Pat had wanted to keep me, but her parents would not allow it. Shortly after, my dad came to Liverpool where I live and we had a fantastic day together, like we had never been apart. Then, 10 days later I went down to stay with my dad and step mum in Newport on Father's Day and went to a family reunion Father's Day BBQ at my ˝ Sister Charlotte's house, also meeting my brother in law and 2 Nieces, a Nephew, and cousins. Not too long ago Charlotte and her husband came and stayed the weekend at my house in Liverpool and we started catching up on our lost time as Brother and Sister."

Andy explains:- "The next step is meeting my other ˝ Sister Hannah and more cousins, and obviously spending more time with my Dad. I honestly can't recommend Ancestry's DNA service enough to people who like me were adopted, or who don't know 1 or both of their parents through any similar situation, and I'd be delighted if my story inspired even just 1 person to sign up to find their own long lost family. I can't express just how much it means, and I'm forever grateful to Ancestry for helping me find my Dad."
 

Grow your own fruit bowl with Dobbies

READY to reap the fruits of your labour? Dobbies, the UK's leading garden centre, is hosting a free Grow How session in its Southport store with a live demonstration on how to grow your own fruit bowl. Ideal for both beginners and seasoned gardeners, Dobbies' Grow How interactive workshop will take place in Southport on Saturday, 3 September 2022, at 10:30am. Gardening experts from Dobbies will spend time demonstrating how customers can grow their own blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, and apples, as well as showcasing the various gardening tools required. The experts will also provide tips and tricks on how to best care for fruit trees, as well as chart the journey from seedling to fruit and answer any questions customers may have. Ever committed to sustainability, this Dobbies' workshop will emphasise the benefits of using peat free compost, organic feeds and safer pest control products.

Sarah Murray, Dobbies' Partnership and Events Manager, said:- "At Dobbies we are committed to doing our part to care for the planet and ensure a better tomorrow. We're encouraging customers to attend this free workshop to not only plant and harvest delicious fruit, but also to pass the knowledge on to friends and family so they can also grow their own."
 

Liverpool City Region students swap the classroom for the boardroom

SCHOOLS may be out for summer, but the real work has only just begun for 1 group of young people in the Liverpool City Region, who are being given the chance to work with the Region's Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram. The team of students have been appointed to the Region's 1st ever Youth Combined Authority (YCA), which was set up by Mayor Rotheram to help give young people a platform to make their voice heard on the biggest issues affecting their generation today. Members of the YCA met with the Mayor for the 1st time at the Authority's Mann Island headquarters on Wednesday following a call for volunteers to sit on the newly created group.

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:- "The Youth Combined Authority is all about giving a platform to the nearly 350,000 young people who call our city Region home - and making sure their voice is heard. Too often, young people have been overlooked by decision makers, excluded from the debate on important decisions that directly affect their lives. Yet, in reality, they are a generation who will 1 day inherit our Region; and deal with the legacy of the decisions we're making today. Now more than ever, it's incredibly important that young people are being encouraged to engage with politics, to stand up for the issues they feel passionate about, and make sure their views are listened to. I'm looking forward to working with our young people and hearing their ideas on how we can shape a better future for our Region. Collectively, they will be the authors of the next chapter in our Region's long and storied history."

More than 60 young people applied to be part of the YCA, which will see up to 25 members representing all of the City Region's Local Authority areas, meeting every month, mostly online, to consider important issues such as transport, economic development, housing, jobs and skills, the environment, digital connectivity and culture. They will work closely with youth combined authorities in other areas of England and the representatives will scrutinise and influence the policies and decisions of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. The YCA is made up of young people aged:- 13 to 18 or up to 25 for those with special educational needs or a disability, who live in:- Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens or the Wirral.

14 year old Alissya from St Helens is 1 of the young people chosen to join the YCA. She said:- "I was so ecstatic when they called it was amazing. I've always been very positive about my disability, but being a person who uses a wheelchair makes accessibility and disability awareness a big issue for me. I hope we can make a difference in the Youth Combined Authority so there can be more understanding of people and there are equal opportunities."

The group is designed to teach young people about the democratic process as well as improving skills around debating, public speaking, research and collaboration. To find out more about the group and their role go to:- LiverpoolCityRegion-Ca.Gov.UK.