Missing People: Angela's Story

22 February 2011

Thanks to players like you our partner, Missing People, are reuniting families across the UK.

Angela Chesson’s story is typical of many families. Her only son Sean walked out after a row, vowing never to return. It was to be the start of 11 years of heartache.

Angela tried writing to an address where Sean used to live in London.  Her letters went unanswered.

“I just had no idea where he was,” she said: “I wasn’t too worried in the early days because I was convinced he would phone me.  But I heard nothing.”

Two years ago Angela had a heart-attack.  As she recovered, she vowed that the time had come to find Sean.

“I realised that if I died he might never know.  Who would give him the news?” she said.

But when it came to looking for Sean, Angela didn’t know where or how to start.

Friends told her about Missing People.  Within three weeks, they had found Sean!

Now 45 and living with a family of his own, he was delighted when he got the news that his mum was looking for him.

After Missing People passed on Angela’s contact details, Sean rang her straightaway. And the first piece of news he told her was that she had a nine-year-old grand-daughter.

Within a month mother and son met up again. It was an emotional re-union.  “I felt physically sick the day he came,”  she said.  “But I’m glad to say it went better than I thought it would. 

“He said his partner had been urging him for ages to contact me again but he was too embarrassed after what had happened and the trouble he had caused.”

Our players have raised over £960,000 for Missing People - enough to help 422 vulnerable people to reconnect with their families.