A MAN is appealing to the people of Radcliffe to help him find the long-lost relatives of his grandfather.

Christopher Taylor has spent years trying to track down the descendants Cyril Wilford Williams Horton, who lived in Radcliffe and is buried at Bury Cemetery.

Having pieced together the story of his life from what little information he could obtain, Mr Taylor believes that his grandfather married his third wife, Ethel Sharples, in Heywood in March 1945 before moving to Radcliffe.

The 60-year-old, who is originally from Fleetwood but now lives in Worcestershire, said: "Nobody ever spoke about my grandfather, he just existed as a name. I could never get any information about him from anyone.

"I have only recently found out that he is buried at Bury Cemetery and it took a long time to track him down.

"We went around loads of cemeteries in Greater Manchester and nobody had any record of him. They eventually managed to find his name in an old ledger at Bury, as his name hadn't been transferred over when they stopped using that book.

"I believe his last child with Ethel died in 2011, shortly before I started looking for them, but I hope that there are still some relatives in the Radcliffe or Bury area that I can get in touch with."

Cyril changed his name to Patrick shortly after marrying Ethel, and died at the former Florence Nightingale Hospital, in Bury, in April 1970. At the time of his death, he lived at an address in Snape Street, Radcliffe.

It is thought that he and Ethel had four children of their own - Patricia, Kevin, Lesley, and Barbara.

Mr Taylor, whose grandmother died in 1932 from a childbirth-related illness, added: "I am hoping to find the grandchildren of Cyril/Patrick and Ethel. With any luck, one or more of them will still be alive and in the area and if they see this appeal, they will recognise the names and hopefully get in touch.

"I have been on this search for over three years now and I would very much like to meet members of this family who will be my relations."

Anyone with information can contact Mr Taylor on 01527 450973.