A woman met her birth mother for the first time and now wants to move to Portland to spend more time with her.

Trish Bell, 52, was adopted at birth and grew up in Upton, Poole.

After reaching out to her birth mother four years ago, she finally got the chance to meet her last Thursday.

Trish said: “We were supposed to meet back in March but then lockdown happened.

“Back in January this year my half-brother, Paddy, contacted me and said ‘I believe we might be related.’

“Babs, my birth mother, got in touch and said ‘it’s great you met Paddy, and would you like to meet me?’”

Trish grew up with her adopted parents, who are both now deceased, and she described them as the “best parents in the world”.

But after meeting Babs for the first time, she wants to move to Portland to spend more time with her and get to know the rest of her family.

She added: “I was quite anxious. After 52 years you are not sure how you are going to be with somebody who in effect is a stranger.

“The tough bit was we could not hug. It is the first thing you want to do.

“I was quite anxious but she was very nice about the reason that she gave me up and the circumstances around it.”

Trish said finding out why she was put up for adoption was like finishing a chapter of her own story.

She is now looking forward to meeting her ten new cousins and introducing them to her husband John and children Andy and Jason, 34 and 24.

“I call her Babs,” she added.

“My adopted parents, my mum and dad, were the best parents and gave me everything I needed.

“She (Babs) was really grateful for that she said ‘that is the reason I gave you up so someone could give you the life you deserve.’”

“We are already moving to Portland. I have two grown up children and they are waiting to meet their grandmother.

“I have this massive opportunity to meet this family I have never met.”