A COUPLE who reconnected more than six decades later are set to finally tie the knot - after they returned to Barnsley for an emotional proposal this week.
Billy Hollis, 65, got down on one knee on Tuesday outside the town hall - and love of his life Frances Newton, also 65, gladly accepted.
Having both been born in Scarborough, Frances was adopted by Frank and Marjorie Bird at an early age and instead moved away from the popular east coast town to grow up in Notton and Royston.
Billy has lived in Scarborough all his life and knew his bride-to-be in their childhood until their paths went in different directions.
However, they found each other on a dating site in 2022 by ‘complete accident’ - as Frances unwittingly keyed in a 100-mile distance instead of a ten-mile radius from Barnsley.
“This mistake led us to one another - we instantly hit it off and felt like we had known each other for all those missed years,” Billy said.
“As the story goes we had known each other from birth but fate led us to each other at the right time - we found our soulmates eventually.
“In March 2023 Frances decided to leave her life in Staincross to start a new life with me in Scarborough.
“I thought it only fitting to take Frances back to Barnsley to surprise her with my proposal, with a few of our friends present to celebrate our engagement.”
