Festive card delivers Christmas cheer for estranged family

Over the past number of years, Trevor McCusker and his wife Pat from the Grange estate, have been assisting Pat's brother Jackie Corken in a painstaking search for his three children with whom he had lost contact for over three decades.

To date the couple were successful in tracking down Jackie's eldest son, Gary, and his daughter, Wendy. Both were living in different parts of England and subsequent to hearing that their Dad was alive, made trips to Ballyclare for emotional meetings with the father they had neither seen nor heard from in over 30 years.

The success of those filial reunions spurred the McCuskers on in their efforts to try and find Jackie's one remaining son, Gregory.

As luck would have it, a Christmas card posted to an address in Hull by the McCuskers this year, turned out to be the one that would achieve just that.

"I found the address on the internet and sent the card, and over the Christmas holidays received a phone call from Gregory, who confirmed that he was indeed Jackie's son," said a delighted Trevor.

"We were able to give Gregory the contact details for his father and his brother and sister and to let him know that there were several family members on his father's side here in Ballyclare who would love to hear from him.