THE power of social media united two long-lost transatlantic friends who had been separated for 45 years.

Pam Black, 72, left Cleator Moor 45 years ago, moving to Windsor, Ontario in Canada, which is on the US border next to Detroit.

In 1960, as a young mother living in, she made friends with one of the workers in the Post Office, on the town’s Market Square.

This worker was Anne Price, who is now aged 64 and still lives in the Cleator Moor with her husband James Price, locally known as Chip.

“When she first went to Canada, her mother used to keep me informed on how they were doing,” she Anne.

“Then I got married and didn’t see her.

“We had really good crack all the time so it was sad to see her go.”

By coincidence, the two started using a Facebook group called Cleator Moor Born and Bred – a community page for the town’s residents.

Anne’s daughter, Sian Price, who runs the page, introduced her mum to Facebook so she could find her long lost friends.

It was from there that Pam and Anne became online penpals.

“Pam couldn’t remember me at first because we hadn’t seen each other in over 45 years, but she started to look through my photos and then she remembered,” said Anne.

“I wish we had known before because she was over here in June, so we just missed each other.”

After working in the Post Office, Anne ran the fish and chip shop on Ennerdale Road with her husband where the Canton Chef takeaway now stands.