A father and daughter who have not seen each other for nearly 50 years have been reunited after meeting on Facebook.
Frances Simpson, 51, last saw her father when she was just three-years-old after her parents separated.
She had spent 33 years trying to find him with no joy until a friend researched her family tree as a surprise.
Reunion joy: Frances Simpson discovered her father Tony Macnauton (right) on Facebook, 50 years after they last saw each other
Frances discovered for the first time she had a half-sister called Kim Macnauton whom she never knew about.
She looked Kim up on Facebook and sent her a message in which she wrote: 'This is going to be a bit of a shock... but I think I am your sister.'
By chance, the two women's father Tony Macnauton, now 72, was sitting by Kim's side when the message arrived.
Stunned Kim, 19, immediately wrote back confirming they were indeed related.
They exchanged phone numbers and Frances spoke to her father for the first time in 48 years. The pair have now met face to face in an emotional reunion.
Frances, from Market Drayton, Shropshire, said: 'It's unbelievable, I'm absolutely over the moon.
'I don't have the words to describe how I'm feeling, it's amazing.
'After all these years I've finally got my dad back.'
She has now introduced Tony, a retired lorry driver from Poole, Dorset, to the five grandchildren and great-grandchild he never knew he had.
Treasured memories: Frances kept this picture of herself as an 18-month-old toddler with her father and mother
Frances, a full-time mother, had not seen her father since she was a toddler when he left the family home after splitting from her mother.
She began searching for him when she turned 18, scouring phone books, electoral rolls, and newspapers across the country to track him down.
But unbeknown to her, he had changed his name to make a fresh start and despite her best efforts she never found him.
It wasn't until her friend started researching her family tree that she found him, living 200 miles away in Poole.
After searching social networking site Facebook for clues about him, Frances made contact with Kim, his daughter from his second marriage.
Frances said: 'When I first started looking for him we didn't have the internet and things were so much harder.
'But as soon as I knew Kim's name, I looked her up and sent her a message saying: "This is going to be a bit of a shock if you are who I think you are, but I think I might be your sister."
'It only took a few minutes before I got a message back saying: "Do you want to talk to my dad? He's sitting right next to me."
'I couldn't believe it. I started talking to him and we haven't stopped since.
'I've got so many memories of him. I remember him being able to play the accordion and I remember him making me a swing.
'And now we're finding out all these other things we have in common - we've got the same sense of humour and we've even been on holiday to all the same places over the years.
'My children are absolutely thrilled to be able to meet him - I've always talked about him and they're so excited to finally meet him.'
Frances travelled to Poole to meet her father and half-sister for the first time last Friday.
After an emotional weekend, she took Tony back to Shropshire on Sunday to meet his grandchildren Robert, 25, Jody, 22, Callum, 19, Andrew, 17 and Kelvin, 15, and great-granddaughter Jessica, two.
Tony said: 'Even though we lost touch, I've never ever forgotten Frances.
'It's remarkable. We've each been clinging on to a precious photograph of the two of us together - the only ones in existence.
'I've always dreamed of being reunited again, and now I've finally got my daughter back.
'It's absolutely marvellous. I don't know what cloud I'm on at the moment.'
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