IT was one of those chance happenings that brought together two people who had never met before, but who, after reading Hampshire Heritage, discovered that they had something in common.

When Denis Sprankling together with his collection of vintage Tri-ang toys was featured in the Daily Echo it came as a real surprise to Christine Giles, from Fair Oak, as her family is closely connected with the founders of the company.

Now Denis, a keen collector of toys from the 1950s and 1960s, has learned so much more about Tri-ang toys from Christine.

Before she was married, Christine's surname was Lines and the original name of the manufacturers of Tri-ang toys was Lines Brothers Limited.

Family connection Born and brought up in Prince of Wales Avenue, Southampton, Christine, even as a child, knew that there was a family connection with the toy company.

"When I was a girl all my toys had the name of Lines Brothers stamped on them,'' said 73-year-old Christine, whose father was a cousin of Walter Lines, one of three brothers, who founded Tri-ang.

"As there were three Lines, which of course make a triangle, they decided that Tri-ang would be a good name for the company.

"First the toys were made of wood and then it was metal and finally plastic.'' Toy-making is something of a tradition in Christine's family as her grandfather, who was a boot-maker in Southampton, also used to make wooden playthings for local children.

"My grandfather's brother made toys and after the First World War his sons, Walter, William and Arthur, decided to set up the Tri-ang company,'' said Christine.

"My father, Donald Lines, had a garage called Lines Motorworks, a name which I believe still exists to this day, in Grange Road, Shirley."

In the Hampshire Heritage story about Denis and his toys, the collector said that he was looking for space in which he could house his huge collection of Tri-ang.

"Not long after the story was in the paper I had a call from Brian Tattersall, who runs Pentalver transport in Southampton docks, and he offered me a container in their yard,'' said Denis.

"The container will be just right to keep my collection undercover.''