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 ½ 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 ½ 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.