Little sister's emotional appeal for help to find long-lost brother in Sheffield

Janine Kirk was just 11 when her beloved half-brother Nigel Hill disappeared from her life.

Repeated attempts to find the 60-year-old, who she believes is still living Sheffield, have proved fruitless.

But Janine, who is estranged from her other brothers and sisters, refuses to give up searching as she believes the pair share a special connection.

She says their mother Esther Allen left her first husband Albert and their two sons in Sheffield when Nigel was just four years old.

It wasn't until Janine was around 10 that she first met Nigel, who she says came looking for their mum in Burnley where she had started a new life and had six more children.

He lived with them for about 18 months before falling out with their mother and returning to Sheffield, where he had grown up on or around Park Hill, she recalls.

"Nigel turned 60 earlier this month, and every time it's his birthday I always think about him," she said.

"He's my half brother but he's the one I was most like, both in terms of looks and personality. It would mean so much to see him again as we have lots to catch up on.

"I don't have any photos of him but I remember he was very tall and had blond hair."

Janine, aged 50, now lives in Manchester, where she works as a pharmacy adviser at Boots. She has two children and one grandson.

Having been taken into care aged 13 or 14, she says she rarely saw her mother or her other siblings after that, only learning of Esther's death in 2012 - months after she had passed away.

"I had a really hard upbringing and felt my mum abandoned me in the same way she had with him, but I don't think he ever knew that," she said.

"I think it might help him to know he wasn't the only one it happened to."

* If you think you can help Janine find her older brother, email her at [email protected].