THE proud father of a leap year baby born 50 years ago has appealed for information on six other children who arrived on the same day.

The seven babies made front page news when they were born at the Greenbank Maternity Hospital and Coniscliffe Nursing Home, in Darlington, on February 29, 1956.

One of the new arrivals was Martin Peter Ashbridge, who weighed just 4lbs 10oz.

Mr Ashbridge now lives in Hawes, Wensleydale, but is currently working as an engineer in the US.

His father, Ron Ashbridge, 81, of Lyons Road, Richmond, got the idea to find out what happened to the other babies when he rang to wish his son a happy 50th birthday - or 12-and-a-half if you just count the leap years.

Mr Ashbridge said: "You meet so many people through the course of your life and sometimes you wonder what happened to them all."

His wife, Margaret, 78, described how she got a "rocket" from the doctor after almost having the baby in the ambulance.

She said: "We were living in Downholme, in Swaledale, at the time. There was no motorway then and it took an age to get to the hospital."

Mr Ashbridge also had an eventful trip to the hospital, arriving later on his motorbike and sidecar.

Calling in at the Green Tree caf, in Darlington, before visiting his wife, he spotted his baby on the front page of the Northern Echo's old sister paper, the Northern Despatch.

As he leaned over to get a closer look, he got an earful from the woman who had bought the copy and was trying to read it.

Mr Ashbridge added: "He wasn't very big - I remember taking him home in the ambulance with several others and pretending he wasn't mine."

The other six leap year babies born at the same time were:

l Ann Elizabeth, daughter of Mareanne Sayer, of Sundial Cottage, Gayles, Richmond;

l Rita, daughter of Elsie Walton, Victoria Road, Darlington;

l Keith, son of Sarah Golightly, Church Row, Melsonby;

l Gillian, daughter of Joyce Raine, Bates Avenue, Darlington;

l Roger Ian, son of R Armstrong, Darlington;

l Christine Laura, daughter of C Howard, Darlington.

If you have any information on the other six leap year babies, call Joe Willis at The Northern Echo on (01748) 850507.