THE plea for help in building up her family tree attracted a couple of extraordinary coincidences for Sheila Brown.

For Sheila, of Kent Way, Newton-le-Willows, in appealing on this page a couple of months ago for any details about her Victorian grandad, drew response from a previously unknown second cousin living close by.

The distant relative, Carol Ann Brown, not only shared 47-year-old Sheila's marital surname, but had worked just over the road from where Sheila lives.

"She was able to supply some useful family details", says a grateful Sheila who had set the family-connection ball rolling by mentioning her soccer-playing Newton grandad, William Sankey, who died in 1942 at the age of 66.

AMAZING how this page manages to dig out people's family roots!