A NORTH Yorkshire woman is hoping to get back in touch with her long-lost childhood friend she met in Scarborough 30 years ago.

Bsck in 1988, while on holiday in Scarborough, Ann Whitaker, then Ann Laycock, from Sutton-in-Craven, met her friend Karen Ellis, from York, when she was aged nine or ten, and Karen was a couple of years older.

For the next five years, their families coordinated their holidays to the seaside town, Ann and her family travelling by train and Karen and her parents travelling via a coach trip.

York Press: Ann, Karen, and Ann's brother Michael as children Picture: Ann WhitakerAnn, Karen, and Ann's brother Michael as children Picture: Ann Whitaker

In between trips to Scarborough, they wrote letters to each other for the next five years till around 1993, and Ann with her mum and sister, Sarah, would take the train to York to go shopping and visit Karen.

However, once the girls hit their teens, they stopped writing to each other and have been out of touch for the last 30 years.

Ann, now 44, has been trying to get back in touch with Karen to catch up on lost time.

She said: “We were the only children in the hotel so we sort of gravitated towards each other.

“Karen was an only child and was sort of a carer to her parents, who were older, she would help to lead them around as they were blind.

“I’ve kept our letters and photographs in my loft.

“We used to write about everyday things like boys, school, TV shows like Neighbours, we confided in each other, but it then fizzled out, it probably wasn’t cool anymore when we reached our teens.”

York Press: Ann's sister Sarah, Ann, Karen, and Ann's brother Michael as children picture: Ann WhitakerAnn's sister Sarah, Ann, Karen, and Ann's brother Michael as children picture: Ann Whitaker

Ann has tried reaching back out to Karen by writing to her old York address around 15 years ago, in Alma Terrace off Fulford Road, where she lived with her parents in the early 1990's, but she didn’t receive any response.

She then looked on Facebook but hasn’t been able to find her on the social media platform either.

Ann said: “I’m curious as to how she is and how she’s been doing since we lost touch – has she married and had her own children?

“I have such happy memories with Karen and would love to know if we could meet up if she wanted and maybe start up the friendship again, we could go for coffee or to the York Christmas Market later in the year.”

Ann is keen to speak to Karen or anyone who knows her. Please email: ann.whitaker@live.com.