Picture Ref: 77569-45A SWINDON couple were amazed to discover that guests who stayed at their B&B were their lost long relatives.

Christine Saunders and her husband Graham, who own the Old Farmhouse B&B in Purton, offered to help two guests from New Zealand who were visiting the area to research their family tree.

Stuart Preddy knew his family originated from the Lydiard area and he and his wife Dale hoped to meet up with any surviving Preddys during their visit.

But little did they know that Graham, 58, was just the man they were looking for.

Christine, 56, said: "The first we heard of Stuart and Dale was when the parish clerk of Lydiard Council contacted us to say they were visiting the area to find out about their family tree and asked if we could put them up.

"We sent them an email saying of course they could stay with us and I told them I had some history books about the area that I had edited which could help.

"I think they thought it would be fairly easy and that they would just be able to take a look at the council records.

"But two days into their three-day stay they still hadn't found any information and we were beginning to feel quite sorry for them."

The couple, who have two daughters and four grandchildren, took pity and offered to introduce the Preddys to as many locals as possible to try to get some information.

But it was a rare visit from Graham's brother Michael on the last day of the Preddy's stay that finally brought a breakthrough.

Graham said: "Michael only visits about five times a year so it was a real surprise that he popped round.

"We explained the Preddy's predicament to him and he said 'Preddy, Preddy, I'm sure I heard our dad talking of Preddy's many years ago.'

"We rang up a cousin who has been researching the family tree who confirmed that my great, great grandmother was a Preddy.

"But of course we didn't know if it was from the same Preddy family as Stuart and Dale.

"She also told us there was another family, the Hales in Purton who were related to the Preddy's and were researching their family tree."

With just hours to spare before the Preddys had to leave to catch a train to Scotland, Graham and Stuart did a door-to-door search of Purton to find the Hales.

Just an hour before the Preddy's departure time they found the Hales who confirmed that Graham and Stuart were related.

Graham said: "We just couldn't believe it it's such an amazing co-incidence.

"It was a real shame that they had to leave just as we found out we were all related.

"We didn't really get the chance to find out a great deal about them but I know we'll be keeping in touch now and they are hoping to come back and visit again."

Diana Milne