 Bates had the idea for the feature after reading a letter from one of his listeners who had enjoyed a holiday romance during a two-week trip to Bournemouth which ended after both parties returned home, and her love interest joined the armed forces.She asked Bates to play the song they had danced to during the vacation, and he read the story out one morning shortly before 11.00am.Bates then invited listeners to write to him with their personal stories and was quickly inundated with letters.