When Alan and Irene met in 1959, their connection was instant. Two isolated children, just seven and nine, found warmth and kindness in each other in a children’s home that was unwelcoming and strict. They would steal moments together up on Bunny Hill and talk about their lives.

But the home had a rule that boys and girls could not mix. So, when their friendship was discovered, Alan and Irene were separated.

On BBC Radio 4’s Life Changing, they explain how it would take four decades for them to find each other again.