Page 2 - link magazine

2 swindonlink.com • July 2008
Can you help Candy find her mum again?
In 1995, The Link first told the story of Candy Shepherd, a fourteen year old searching for her mum. The result was a brief reunion but then
her mother, Margaret, disappeared from her life once again. Now a mother of three, Candy (now Jones), has asked us to make another plea
for her mum to get in touch.
She only has sketchy information aged fourteen, began her search. ined. When I was a teenager,
about what happened to Margaret, She contacted The Link and our I wanted my mum to come
whose maiden name was Brind. front page story led to a meeting and take me away, but it didn't
When she was last in touch, she was with Margaret. happen like that. I can under-
,
living in Gloucester, She recalls that she stand nom, as an adult, that she
having left the family was taken out of a his- couldn'tjust take a teenagerout
home, in Freshbrook, tory lesson at Green- of her surroundings."
when Candy was down School to meet After a few meetings and
aged around six. ' her social worker. phone calls, Margaretfailed to
When she was nine, "He asked if he could turn up to a school event and 7
Candy and her older grant me one wish, the calls stopped. "The meet-
brother and sister what would it be and ings were a bit awkward and R
were told that thei r., x I said I wanted to I wasn't feeling a bond; I can
V
mum had died of meet my mum. Then see it must have been a shock ^Z r '^
cancer. he said that's what for her seeing me again. When
In her teens, Candy we were going to do. she stopped phoning perhaps
went to live with fos- Words can't describe it suited me."
ter parents and asked how I felt." Candy didn't try to contact
her social worker to After the initial Margaret again. She stayed
find out where her euphoria, Candy re- with her foster family, complet-
mum was buried. members that their ing her studies at Greendown
There was no record Candy, aged 4, with Margaret, meetings were not before starting work at Na-
of a death and Candy, from n f(71 01 11 photograph what she had imag- tionwide. But her frustration
1
boiled over during those teen-
age years and she threw away
WROUGHTON CLASSIC nearly all her family pictures, a child; not knowing whether my
including images provided by The
CAR and BIKE SHOW Link in 1995. mother loved me or not."
in aw; ahw with:
She is now happily married with
Candy has decided to search for
wit/ .4 utoJumb/e three children, Jake 10, Emily 5 and Margaret once more to try to find
2nd & 3rd August 2008 Isabelle, 7 months. Yet, although answers and has again turned to
life is good for Candy, after the
The Link for help. "Because I feel
birth of Isabelle, feelings from her whole as an adult, as a wife and
Over 2000 Classic Vehicle Exhibits last year! youth resurfaced. "I've had these a mother, I think now is the time
issues since childhood but instead to do it. I feel I'm in a better place:
plus SODBURY SORTO 1,orin1 °~ of dealing with them I've bottled I don't need her to be a mum or a
Craft Show, Trade Stands them up. grandparent."
and much much more! ' ^n^_ "It really hit me when Emily
reached that age when my mum
Science Museum, Wroughton, left me, and I've been unsettled
SN4 9NS Tel: 07747 80448-, since Isabelle was born. It's made
me think how I must have felt as

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PUTYO a Freshbrook Village Group residents'
association meeting in 1983
• DEBT C
Her biggest fear is that she will
• BUSINE discover that her mum has died.
• CAR PL Hours of searching on the internet
have been emotionally draining
• HOME
but Candy has found no leads.
• WEDDI She hopes that someone reading
• HOLIDi this article has information about
Margaret Mary Shepherd who will
***CONFIDENTIAL INDE be aged around 53 now.
NOW -CONTACT US Fl "I've got my life but I feel this is
the time," said Candy. "I have no
THINK CAREFULLY BEFORE SECURI
YOUR HOME MAY BE REPOSSESSEI anger or resentment towards her.
MORTGAGE OR ANY OTHER DEBT'.
I'm not interested in judging her
loans may be subject to status an, but I'd like to meet her. I've got my
happily ever after and my children
have the security I never had."
If you can help, contact The Link
on 608840 or mail: publisher@swin-
donlink.com