CHILDHOOD sweethearts who have been reunited after 30 years are set to tie the knot.

Carl Ball was Julie Devenish’s first boyfriend when the pair met as 17-year-olds but they drifted apart.

They lost contact for 30 years until one day they found each other again.

Friendship and then love grew.

Now the 52-year-olds are due to get married in July Julie’s first husband died in 2007 but Carl has remained unmarried with his mum joking he has been waiting for his first love the whole time.

Julie, of Acorn Avenue, Halstead, said: “Carl was actually my first boyfriend. We used to go out when we were 17 or 18.

“We had a good gang of us back then and Carl and his friends used to come down on their motorbikes which always impressed me.

“Unfortunately my first husband died. A little bit later I tried to find the whole gang on Facebook but it was only Carl I could find. We haven’t really looked back since.”

Julie admits she thought about finding Carl and their other friends regularly as she grew older.

However, it wasn’t until after her husband died she started to look properly.

After finding Carl’s profile, she dropped him a message and he responded.

The pair reconnected, finding they still had a lot in common and have been growing closer ever since.

She added: “To start with, we just used to message a lot and we would meet in Costa every Sunday.

“He has never been married or had kids. I do have to pinch myself most days. I can’t believe we are back together and he was still single.”

The pair will tie the knot on July 8 at Sudbury Town Hall.

Julie, a volunteer with Care UK, said she is already excited for what will be one of the happiest days of her life.

She revealed the same teenage emotions were there for her as soon as they saw each other again.

She said: “When we first met up, I had butterflies again like the first time we met.

“I really can’t wait. I have a beautiful dress and we are due to arrive in vintage Rolls Royce.

“Even thinking about it makes me quite emotional.”