Sheffield pen pals celebrate 50 years of friendship

Helen Horned (L) and Caroline Hall started writing to each other since 1973

Two pen pals are celebrating 50 years of writing to each other.

Caroline Hall from Sheffield was paired with Helen Horned from Sweden as part of a school project.

The pair have written to each other every week since Helen pulled her name from a hat in a school classroom in 1973.

Caroline said at first she did not want to write to the then 13-year old Helen, as she thought her name was too English.

"I said, 'oh I don't want this name because Helen is an English name can I put it back?'," Caroline said.

"And they said 'no because we've used up all the names'.

"All my friends said, 'oh, I've got Ingelle, I've got Birgitta'. 'Well I've got Helen so I will write to this one'."

Despite the inauspicious start the pair bonded over their mutual love of cats.

Over the years they visited each other and sent gifts at Christmas and on birthdays.

The pair bonded over their love of cats

The pair are marking the anniversary by meeting in South Yorkshire.

Ms Horned lives 750 miles (1,200 km) away in the Swedish city of Linköping,

"It's like we found out we were soulmates from the beginning," she said.