A Bristol woman has met the brother she never knew she had – after 50 years.

Karen Davies, a mother-of-two from Shirehampton, believed she was an only child until a few months ago when Nigel Connah, who lives in France, got in touch.

Mr Connah, 55, had been adopted as a baby and grew up with loving parents in Sheffield. Unusually, his adoptive mother met the woman who gave birth to him, June Brooks, who told her that she was from Bristol and that his father was Greek.

Mr Connah, who runs a successful holiday business, said: "After my adoptive parents died I started to think about contacting my natural mother and set the ball rolling about 12 months ago through the After Adoption agency.

"I got a letter saying that very sadly my mother had died but that I had a sister and was I interested in pursuing contact?"

Mr Connah initially wrote to Karen and they exchanged emails and photographs before finally meeting last week.

Ms Davies, of Northleach Walk, said: "We met by the big silver ball in Millennium Square. It has been an emotional time.

"I didn't know Nigel existed until three months ago.

"Initially, I was angry that my mum never told me."

She asked her father Gordon Silverthorn, 82, who told her that he had married her mother knowing that she had earlier given up a little boy for adoption.

Quizzing other family, Ms Davies discovered that her mother was 25 when she became pregnant and was forced to go to Sheffield for six months and give up her baby.

"She was a member of the well-known Bollom family, who ran a dry cleaning empire, and in those days there was great shame in having a baby if you were unmarried," added Ms Davies.

Miss Brooks went on to marry Mr Silverthorn and they had Karen five years later. But she was never told about her half-brother.

Now Ms Davies and Mr Connah hope to put the final piece of the puzzle into place by confirming the identity of Mr Connah's father.

They believe it could be Savva Georgiou, a Greek Cypriot footballer who was a striker with Bristol City in 1952 and died in 1996.

Ms Davies' family were City fans and her mother may have met Mr Georgiou through her brother.

"There were not many Greeks in Bristol in the early 1950s," added Mr Connah. "I am not saying Savva Georgiou was my father but there is a huge possibility that he might be.

"I would love to hear from any readers who knew him when he played for Bristol City."

Anyone with information about Savva Georgiou can contact Mr Connah on 07796 397653 or send an email to simon_the_horse@yahoo.uk.