Friends meet up after 38 years

Two Shropshire school friends who had not seen each other for 38 years renewed their long-lost friendship after meeting up at the 80s concert held in Shrewsbury Quarry.

Pauline Kemp, of Ketley Bank, Telford, and her best friend in school Dorothy Chipchase, of Castlefields, Shrewsbury, last saw one another in March 1970 but managed to get back in touch through the Friends Reunited website.

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Pauline, who attended the Here and Now: Magic of the 80s concert on Saturday with her husband Martin as a birthday present, said herself and Dorothy, both 53, had rolled back the years by sharing their memories at the event.

She said: "We were both at Meole Brace Secondary School and then she left at 15 while I was a bit younger and spent my last two years at Church Stretton School doing a CSE."

She added: "We lost touch and hadn't seen each other for years and then one day I had an e-mail come through and it was her.

"She had found me on Friends Reunited and she phoned me and asked me if I remembered her and I said 'of course I do we were best friends in school'."

Dorothy said it had been a fantastic reunion and said they now planned to keep in touch regularly.

She said: "It was brilliant and the concert was excellent as well. She recognised me straight away anyway.

"It was really strange seeing her after such a long time. We're going to meet up again and are definitely going to stay in touch."

After leaving school Pauline, who is originally from Condover, later moved to Kidderminster and then Telford and has worked at the Asda store in the town for the past 15 years.

Dorothy, on the other hand, has lived in various parts of the country including Suffolk and York, before returning back to Shrewsbury with her husband who works for the prison service.