Former pen pals living on opposite sides of the world have been reunited through the Keighley News after losing touch decades ago.

Stella Caldow, who lives in Australia, wrote to the KN to try to make contact with mother and daughter Margaret Sayer and Catherine Hall, who used to live in Keighley.

Sadly Margaret died in 2008, but Catherine, 51, now lives in Settle. Thanks to Catherine’s Keighley-based father spotting the letter in the paper, she was able to e-mail Stella and restart their friendship.

The two women, who were pen pals when they were teenagers and have never met face-to-face, are now planning a get-together in August, which is when Stella will visit England with her husband.

Stella, 48, whose letter was published in the KN on May 9, said: “I’m thrilled about making contact with Catherine after so long.

“I was a little apprehensive about the result as I had no idea of Catherine’s surname now or where she lived.

“We were pen pals for about four to five years, and mainly wrote about what we'd been up to, our pets, school and family life.

“I was born in Australia, but my mum, Elizabeth, and Catherine’s mum were good friends before and after the Second World War. Even when my mum migrated here in 1951, they kept in contact through letters. Unfortunately, neither of our mums are with us anymore.”

Stella worked in the textile industry when she left school, and more recently she has worked part-time cooking meals for school children. She and her husband have two sons.

Catherine said her father, Norman Sayer, who lives in Halifax Road, Keighley, phoned her after noticing Stella’s letter in the KN.

“I was shocked – it was totally unexpected,” she said. “I’ll certainly keep in touch with Stella and we’ll try to meet each other when she comes over later this year.

“We were pen pals for a few years in our mid-teens. It was such a long time ago.”

Catherine, who has one son, was born in Keighley and was a secretary for Bradford and Bingley. She now works as a cleaner for Anchor Housing Trust.