YOUR favourite community paper has spanned the Atlantic to help reunite long lost friends.

The Citizen was quick to answer an SOS from the Big Apple which proved more than fruitful for one local lady.

Els Moran, of Shear Brow, Blackburn, was the latest reader to benefit from our paper being on the Internet.

Mrs Moran was shocked to read about her American buddy, Alan Rothman, after we published his e-mail letter appealing for news of her whereabouts.

"I couldn't believe my eyes," said Mrs Moran. "I was really surprised because it was about two years since I last heard from Alan and then I saw his name in the Citizen. I'd love to see him and his wife Jessica again - we were such good friends."

Alan, a New York drama teacher, told us he had lost Els' telephone number and was desperate to get in touch.

Els and her late husband, Joe Hamilton, first met Alan while camping in Rome 24 years ago. They kept in close touch and regularly visited each other.

"It's about eight years since I last saw him," added Els. We used to go and see them in New York and we would write all the time but for some reason Alan's correspondence stopped. I'm in touch with him again now and thanks to the Citizen we hope to meet again very soon."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.