Brothers’ emotional reunion after 40 years
ADAD was left stunned when his brother he hadn’t seen for 40 years walked into his local pub.
Darryl Bell, 69, hadn’t seen his sibling Maitland, 71, since the latter moved to Canada in the 1970s.
But the two were brought together in an emotional reunion after Darryl’s daughter Louise found an opportunity to reconnect them.
Darryl, a retired butcher who lives in Tytherington with wife Judie, said: “I knew absolutely nothing about it. It was a total surprise.
“It’s the best day I have had since I got married, absolutely marvellous.”
He said he couldn’t thank his daughter enough for organising it.
The meeting came courtesy of Toby Carvery who put out an appeal on the radio for families to reach out if they have loved ones who had lost touch. Louise Bell from Tytherington, was selected following her story about her dad Darryl and uncle Maitland.
Maitland moved to Canada with his wife in the early 1970s for work and over the years, the brothers simply lost touch.
They were reconnected last year after the death of their mother, and have remained in touch with a monthly phone call, but Louise wanted to provide them with something more than a voice on the other end of the phone.
Louise wanted to reconnect him with her uncle, who she had never met.
Louise said: “My dad has always supported me; when I was younger right through to being there to help with bringing up my two children.
“It broke my heart to see how excited he was for his monthly calls to his brother, when picking up the phone and calling someone without a thought is just taken for granted.”
As a surprise, Louise organised a meal for Darryl at the Toby Carvery in Adlington, where Maitland ‘ Skyped’ the whole family. When the video started to cut out, Darryl was upset.
Little did he know that the ‘video call’ was in fact pre-recorded, and as the video ended he felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around to come face to face with his longlost brother Maitlandd in an emotionally- charged reunion.
Louise added: “I’mm so pleased we man- aged to reunite my y dad and my unclee after all these years!
“It was hard to keepp the secret from dad,d, but I would do it againin in a heartbeat to see his face light up when he caught sight of his brother.”