“IT felt absolutely terrible, like my heart had been ripped out.”

It was a decision that led to years of hurt and regret for Brenda Spaulding, who was forced to give her baby up for adoption as an 18-year-old amid pressure from her family.

Now, 48 years later, 67-year-old Brenda is to be reunited with her daughter Andrea Elizabeth after she tracked her down through the After Adoption agency.

“I got a letter in October and I thought it might have been a scam but one thing lead to another and they put me and Andrea Elizabeth, the names I gave her at birth, in touch,” Brenda said.

“We’ve been writing and talking on the phone and it feels really good that I’ll be seeing her again.

“It was a great surprise. She was over the moon, it felt so unreal. I’m just wanting to make a good impression and I’m trying to work out what I want to wear.

“I experienced so many emotions and it is so hard to explain.”

Andrea, 48, who lives in Luton, will be coming to Swindon next weekend with her husband Mick and two children Ryan and Lauren.

Former office worker Brenda, who lives in Beverley, Toothill, with husband Ted, 79, said: “Not only have I got my daughter back I’ve also got two grandchildren.”

Brenda, originally from Acton, did not keep contact with Andrea’s father and was raising her daughter alone when she was pushed into giving her away.

“I was living with a so-called friend in Hayes at the time when I was chucked out – I don’t know the reason – so I had to go back to my parents,” she said.

“I was going to keep her initially but my dad was so strict and it would have been so difficult. He said I could stay as long as I gave my baby away.

“It was a different time then and being a single mother was extremely frowned upon.”

While the adoption process was going through Brenda met her husband Ted, a former bus driver, and they married in 1968. However, they were unable to have children.

The couple moved to Swindon in the 1980s and, now retired, are delighted to be able to welcome Andrea into their lives.

“When Brenda had her adopted I was literally in tears and I didn’t want her to be given away,” said Ted, who also worked as a forklift truck driver.

“I wanted to adopt her but everything was already going through.

“Welcoming her back into our lives just feels amazing and I’ve told a few friends and family and they‘re all pleased to welcome a new addition to the family.”

Andrea has been sending photographs of her and her family to the Spauldings.

Brenda said: “I kept things like her birth certificate, the strip they wrapped around her wrist in the hospital and the few photographs I had.

“I thought about her all the time, especially around October as her birthday is on October 29.

“I tried tracking her down over the years but had no luck. I always thought about her and wondered how she was getting on.

“She has so many questions but the strange thing is I really can’t remember lots of what went on and that’s really bad because I can’t answer Andrea’s questions, as much as I want to. I have to refer to the old records I have.”

Of all the cherished items that Brenda now has, the most important is the first letter she received from Andrea, a legal worker in London.

It read: “I have often thought about embarking on this journey but it never seemed like the right time but eventually after 48 years I have taken the plunge.

“You made a huge sacrifice and I know it must have been a heartbreaking decision.

"To discover you had looked after me for three months, and that I had my first Christmas with you, and to know that you continued to visit me when I was in foster care is something I’ll always cherish.

“Please don’t feel guilty about the decision you made, it was a different time and I was adopted by people who loved me.”

Andrea had spent three years looking for Brenda before finally tracking her down.