Kevin Scott was born 'out of wedlock' in a nursing home for unmarried mothers - and feared he would ever meet his natural mother
An overjoyed son has met his real mum for the first time in 57 years after she gave him away when he was six weeks old.
Kevin Scott, 57, was born "out of wedlock" in a nursing home for unmarried mothers - and feared he would ever meet his natural mother.
But Kevin and his mum Pat Johnson were in floods of tears today after they were reunited with a giant hug.
Kevin tracked his mother down to her place of work after his adoptive parents died - after being inspired by Davina McCall's TV show Long Lost Families.
He was told she had retired 10 years earlier. But Pat's former work colleagues agreed to pass on Kevin's number - not knowing if she would want to relive her past.
Kevin was at home in Chepstow, South Wales, the next day when the phone rang and a woman rang asked his date of birth.
When he gave it, the voice at the end of the line said: "This is your mum."
Pat, 78, packed a suitcase and left her home near Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, to travel 200 miles to meet her son for the first time since 1957.
Emotional Pat said: "I never thought I'd see my Kevin again - all I ever had was one photograph to remind me of him and that got destroyed years ago.
"I can still remember Monday October 20 1957 when I carried him down the stairs to the childless could who were adopting him.
"It broke my heart but as the years went by I resigned myself to the fact I'd never see my little boy again."
Pat was taken in by the church-run Quarry Nursing Home for Unmarried Mothers in Lincoln when she became pregnant at the age of 20.
She said: "There was a great deal of shame attached to being an unmarried mother in those days - I gave my baby up because I felt I had no choice.
"I still live near Lincoln but I can't bear to look at the old nursing home - it brings back too many memories."
Kevin was brought up in Scunthorpe by Doris and Dennis Scott, who moved to South Wales in 1964 when their adopted little boy was just seven.
When Doris died four years ago Kevin decided it was time he discovered who his real mum was - and was inspired by Davina McCall's ITV show which featured a case at the Quarry Maternity Home.
After an approach to social services drew a blank he told his story to his next door neighbour Dikka Cram, 49, who offered to help.
Dikka worked her magic on the internet - and just three days later Kevin took the call from the mum he feared he's lost for ever.
Mechanic Kevin said: "When we met I was tingling all over - it was brilliant and of course there were a lot of tears.
"She just looked at me and said: "Come Here" and gave me a big hug. It is all like some sort of surreal dream so much time has passed.
"But I have my mum now and that's all that matters. I just love calling her mum, just saying the word is brilliant."
Divorced father-of-four Kevin has also discovered he has a half-brother Neil, stepfather George, 80, and lots of other relatives - Pat was the youngest of 11 children.
He said: "We can't stop talking and we keep finding out more and more about each other.
"I'm very proud of her because she must have gone through a lot of heartache to give me up because i was born out of wedlock. But she went on to become a successful businesswoman.
"We will make up for lost time and I'm already planning to visit her at her home to meet my new family.
"I don't know how to thank Dikka - I had wondered about my proper mum all my life and she found her for me in just three days."
Musician and mother-of-one Dikka said: "I just did it for a favour for a friend. But I'm just thrilled for both of them - it is a real happy ending."
20 more remarkable things that happened back in 1957
- Tory Prime Minister Anthony Eden quits due to ill-health. Successor Harold Macmillan tells Tories at a rally in Bedford: “Most of our people have never had it so good.”
- The Cavern Club, later made famous by The Beatles, opens in Liverpool.
- Norwich City Council is the first authority in Britain with a computer.
- Panorama, presented by Richard Dimbleby, becomes the first TV show to broadcast an April Fool hoax with a report claiming to show spaghetti being harvested from a tree in Switzerland.
- Petrol rationing ends after the Suez Crisis.
- Elvis Presley tops the charts with All Shook Up and stars in film Jailhouse Rock.
- Ian Fleming’s James Bond novel From Russia With Love is published.
- ERNIE picks out the first £1,000 Premium Bond winner.
- A report by the Medical Research Council reveals evidence to support a link between cigarette smoking and lung cancer.
- Daily Mirror cartoon character Andy Capp appears for the first time.
- The Queen broadcasts her first Christmas message on TV.
- Russia launches unmanned Sputnik 1 into orbit heralding the start of the space race.
- Donny Osmond is born.
- Ultrasound scanning is pioneered in Scotland.
- Asian flu pandemic kills 150,000 worldwide.
- Soccer legend Stanley Matthews makes his last appearance for England.
- American Althea Gibson becomes the first black player to win Wimbledon.
- War film The Bridge on the River Kwai cleans up at the Oscars with Alec Guinness voted best actor for his role as Colonel Nicholson.
- The average price of a house is £2,330.
- The maximum wage for footballers is raised to £20 a week. The average baker earns £7.76 a week.
