TEENAGE sweethearts Val Duffield and Michael Hawker split up over a silly argument 30 years ago.
They both moved away from Bolton, both married other people and later divorced.
But they found each other again, thanks to the Bolton Evening News, and now they are happily married!
It was the summer of 1970 when their romantic story begins. Val was a 16-year-old Smithills Grammar School pupil and Michael, aged 17, was an apprentice with the gas board.
Along with a gang of friends, they were regulars at the Navada roller skating rink where many local lads and lasses met, and Michael asked Val out.
"We went out for a couple of years, and got engaged -- much too young," recalls Val. "And, eventually, we split up over some stupid argument -- which neither of us can remember now -- in the summer of 1973."
Val later married and moved to Manchester, and Michael married and moved to Chester and then on to North Wales.
The years went by, and one day Val decided to log on to Friends Reunited to catch up with old friends. Her thoughts turned, as they had often done, to Michael, but no-one knew where he was.
"So I decided to put a small advert in the Bolton Evening News," said Val.
This resulted in various old friends getting in touch, but no Michael.
"Little did I know that Michael was not in Bolton any more but, fortunately, his family were."
Michael's mum and dad used to own a fish and chip shop in Morris Green Lane and had an employee called Lynn.
After Michael's mum died, relatives had taken it over with Lynn still working there.
A friend of hers pointed out the advert and Lynn showed it to Michael's niece.
"She then told her dad, Stephen, Michael's brother, who was working in India at the time. And he contacted Michael in North Wales to tell him I was looking for him. So it went around the world," remembers Val.
Michael emailed Val, and sent a phone number. "When I rang him, we just talked and talked and caught up on each other's lives," Val said.
"He asked to see me but I was unsure. I was living in Doncaster and was still married, although not too happily, and was hesitant in case I got all the old feelings back."
The two finally met again, in the Old Man and Scythe pub in Churchgate where, as youngsters, they used to gather with friends.
"We had both changed so much, but I knew, as he did, that we had to see each other again. We rang each other all the time, every opportunity we got, and just couldn't stop talking."
Eventually, when they were both single again, they got together in Connah's Quay, North Wales where Val, now aged 50, is a fraud detection advisor for Marks & Spencer and Michael an emergency gas engineer for Transco.
And this summer, at Northop Golf and Country Club, where the two are now enthusiastic golfers, they married -- overlooking the 18th green.
"We're very happy to be together again. It's like those 30 years were yesterday," said Val.
"And one thing we are sure of is that it's all thanks to the Bolton Evening News."
TEENAGE sweethearts Val Duffield and Michael Hawker split up over a silly argument 30 years ago.
They both moved away from Bolton, both married other people and later divorced.
But they found each other again, thanks to the Bolton Evening News, and now they are happily married!
It was the summer of 1970 when their romantic story begins. Val was a 16-year-old Smithills Grammar School pupil and Michael, aged 17, was an apprentice with the gas board.
Along with a gang of friends, they were regulars at the Navada roller skating rink where many local lads and lasses met, and Michael asked Val out.
"We went out for a couple of years, and got engaged -- much too young," recalls Val. "And, eventually, we split up over some stupid argument -- which neither of us can remember now -- in the summer of 1973."
Val later married and moved to Manchester, and Michael married and moved to Chester and then on to North Wales.
The years went by, and one day Val decided to log on to Friends Reunited to catch up with old friends. Her thoughts turned, as they had often done, to Michael, but no-one knew where he was.
"So I decided to put a small advert in the Bolton Evening News," said Val.
This resulted in various old friends getting in touch, but no Michael.
"Little did I know that Michael was not in Bolton any more but, fortunately, his family were."
Michael's mum and dad used to own a fish and chip shop in Morris Green Lane and had an employee called Lynn.
After Michael's mum died, relatives had taken it over with Lynn still working there.
A friend of hers pointed out the advert and Lynn showed it to Michael's niece.
"She then told her dad, Stephen, Michael's brother, who was working in India at the time. And he contacted Michael in North Wales to tell him I was looking for him. So it went around the world," remembers Val.
Michael emailed Val, and sent a phone number. "When I rang him, we just talked and talked and caught up on each other's lives," Val said.
"He asked to see me but I was unsure. I was living in Doncaster and was still married, although not too happily, and was hesitant in case I got all the old feelings back."
The two finally met again, in the Old Man and Scythe pub in Churchgate where, as youngsters, they used to gather with friends.
"We had both changed so much, but I knew, as he did, that we had to see each other again. We rang each other all the time, every opportunity we got, and just couldn't stop talking."
Eventually, when they were both single again, they got together in Connah's Quay, North Wales where Val, now aged 50, is a fraud detection advisor for Marks & Spencer and Michael an emergency gas engineer for Transco.
And this summer, at Northop Golf and Country Club, where the two are now enthusiastic golfers, they married -- overlooking the 18th green.
"We're very happy to be together again. It's like those 30 years were yesterday," said Val.
"And one thing we are sure of is that it's all thanks to the Bolton Evening News."
WEDDING JOY: After falling in -- and out of love 30 years earlier, Bolton couple Val Duffield and Michael Hawker finally married in North Wales
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