A KIND-HEARTED Royston woman who has helped more than 100 people trace their ancestry for free is encouraging those in need to get in touch.

Jill Ives’ passion for helping people find their long-lost relatives began when her mum wanted to trace her own ancestry.

The 58-year-old said it was eventually realised that her mum was ‘100 per cent Yorkshire pudding’ - but the thrill of helping others inspired her to create a Facebook group called DNA Family Finders UK with the aim of supporting as many people as possible.

She’s now helped trace the ancestry of more than 100 people - including help reunite a woman with her father over 1,300 miles away in Norway.

Jill told the Chronicle: “Going into lockdown I started helping people find their relatives.

“I had already exhausted my ancestry and so I wanted to started helping others.

“I had a lady who was adopted and thought she was Italian - I helped her find her father and it turns out she’s Norwegian instead.

“She met him in Norway three months ago.

“There’s hundreds of stories - it’s really nice to be able to help people but there’s a lot of emotion.”

But Jill’s now wanting to help people closer to home and is encouraging anyone seeking help in Barnsley to get in touch.

“I just want to help more people,” she added.