Letters sent from a young Ringo Starr to his girlfriend before he was a Beatle have been sold for over £16,000. Doreen Speight, who met Ringo at a Butlins in Pwllheli, north Wales, was sorting through paper files in her garage when she found the collection of letters dating back to 1961 and 1962. Mrs Speight, from  Bredbury in Greater Manchester, had been Ringo's teenage sweetheart - with the  drummer telling her about his life in another band - Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. Another letter sent a year later just after Ringo - real name Richard Starkey - had joined the Beatles and mentions their debut single, Love Me Do. A collection of letters written by Ringo Starr to his girlfriend before he joined the Beatles have sold for £16,000. In one he wrote: 'I am doing very well with the new group, we have a record out I hope you have herd (sic) it' Mrs Speight, pictured age 16 left, was the drummer's childhood sweetheart between 1961-2. The woman, pictured right aged 69, thought the letters had been lost - but found them in her garage . Ringo wrote: 'I am doing very well with the new group, we have a record out I hope you have herd (sic) it, it is on (Radio) Luxemburg every night (also don't forget to buy it).' October 1962 . Ringo wrote: 'Dear Dorren, . Thanks . for the letter a lot had happened since I last wrote to you I went to . Butlins when we came home from France I was there ten weeks when I got a . phone call asking me would I join the Beatles and I said yes and I left . Rory. 'I . am doing very well with the new group, we have a record out I hope you . have herd (sic) it it is on (Radio) Luxemburg every night (also don't . forget to buy it).' Mrs Speight, now 69, had loaned the letters to her daughter Samantha over 20 years ago so she could show her university friends but thought they were lost. It was only when she started sorting out boxes of files in her garage when she realised she had a minor mouse problem that she found them again. She took them to auctioneers Bonhams in London who valued them at a few thousand pounds. They sold at auction for a hammer price of £13,000 pounds - but with all the fees added the price paid was £16,250. Mrs Speight said she is delighted with the result and plans to spend the money on a new bathroom. She said: 'I am very pleased and delighted with how much they sold for. It is much more than what I had been expecting. 'I . am going to have my bathroom done now and I will pay for my daughter's . holiday to Tenerife and a new dining table for my son.' 'Doreen met Ringo when she was 16 at a Butlins in Pwllheli, north Wales, in October 1961. Ringo Starr, pictured right with a beard, joined Rory Storm and the Hurricanes in 1960. Here the group are pictured at a Butlin's holiday camp following a performance . Ringo Starr on the drums with the band. Despite achieving notable success in the UK and Europe, Ringo left the group to join The Beatles in 1962 - replacing Pete Best . As neither of their families had a telephone they decided to swap addresses so they could write to each other after the holiday. Over . the course of a year, Ringo penned several notes about playing at . Butlins' holiday camps and saving up enough money to buy an old Ford . Zodiac car. In October 1962 he told of how he had recently been asked to join a new group called the Beatles as their new drummer. Ringo wrote: 'I got a phone call asking me would I join the Beatles and I said yes and I left Rory.' At the time, his girlfriend had no idea the song would propel the group to international stardom until it reached number one in the charts and they appeared on the BBC. Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison aka The Beatles . Mrs Speight said: 'I thought the letters had been lost. I gave them to my daughter Samantha over 20 years ago because she wanted to take them to university with her to show her friends. 'I found them again by chance. We had some field mice in the garage that were chewing away at some of the cardboard boxes so I decided to have a clear out. 'I came across a box full of Samantha's university work and found the letters. I had no idea they were there.' Katherine Schofield, entertainment memorabilia specialist at auctioneers Bonhams said:'The letters are so personal and show the personality of Ringo before he became the figure that he is in popular culture today.' It was in 1957 that Ringo Starr co-founded his first band - which was called the Eddie Clayton Skiffle Group. Three . years later, when the Beatles formed in 1960, the drummer was a member . of another Liverpool group - the Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. The . band entered a competition called Search for Stars at the Liverpool . Empire Theatre in 1959 - reaching second place ahead of 150 acts. The . competition helped the band see impressive success in the local area, . across the rest of the UK and in Europe. However, . Ringo - who was regarded as one of the best drummers in Liverpool by . this point -  quit the Hurricanes and joined the Beatles in August 1962, . replacing Pete Best. Following the band break-up in 1970, he released several successful . singles including It Don't Come Easy, Photograph and You're Sixteen and . Back Off Boogaloo -  which peaked at number two.
Love letters from Ringo Starr to former lover sold at auction for £16,000 .
Include details of his time in band Rory Storm and the Hurricanes .
Were discovered by Doreen Speight, who dated drummer between 1961-2 .
Mrs Speight thought letters were lost when she found them in her garage .
Letters sent from a young Ringo Starr to his girlfriend before he was a Beatle have been sold for over £16,000. Doreen Speight, who met Ringo at a Butlins in Pwllheli, north Wales, was sorting through paper files in her garage when she found the collection of letters dating back to 1961 and 1962. Mrs Speight, from  Bredbury in Greater Manchester, had been Ringo's teenage sweetheart - with the  drummer telling her about his life in another band - Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. Another letter sent a year later just after Ringo - real name Richard Starkey - had joined the Beatles and mentions their debut single, Love Me Do. A collection of letters written by Ringo Starr to his girlfriend before he joined the Beatles have sold for £16,000. In one he wrote: 'I am doing very well with the new group, we have a record out I hope you have herd (sic) it' Mrs Speight, pictured age 16 left, was the drummer's childhood sweetheart between 1961-2. The woman, pictured right aged 69, thought the letters had been lost - but found them in her garage . Ringo wrote: 'I am doing very well with the new group, we have a record out I hope you have herd (sic) it, it is on (Radio) Luxemburg every night (also don't forget to buy it).' October 1962 . Ringo wrote: 'Dear Dorren, . Thanks . for the letter a lot had happened since I last wrote to you I went to . Butlins when we came home from France I was there ten weeks when I got a . phone call asking me would I join the Beatles and I said yes and I left . Rory. 'I . am doing very well with the new group, we have a record out I hope you . have herd (sic) it it is on (Radio) Luxemburg every night (also don't . forget to buy it).' Mrs Speight, now 69, had loaned the letters to her daughter Samantha over 20 years ago so she could show her university friends but thought they were lost. It was only when she started sorting out boxes of files in her garage when she realised she had a minor mouse problem that she found them again. She took them to auctioneers Bonhams in London who valued them at a few thousand pounds. They sold at auction for a hammer price of £13,000 pounds - but with all the fees added the price paid was £16,250. Mrs Speight said she is delighted with the result and plans to spend the money on a new bathroom. She said: 'I am very pleased and delighted with how much they sold for. It is much more than what I had been expecting. 'I . am going to have my bathroom done now and I will pay for my daughter's . holiday to Tenerife and a new dining table for my son.' 'Doreen met Ringo when she was 16 at a Butlins in Pwllheli, north Wales, in October 1961. Ringo Starr, pictured right with a beard, joined Rory Storm and the Hurricanes in 1960. Here the group are pictured at a Butlin's holiday camp following a performance . Ringo Starr on the drums with the band. Despite achieving notable success in the UK and Europe, Ringo left the group to join The Beatles in 1962 - replacing Pete Best . As neither of their families had a telephone they decided to swap addresses so they could write to each other after the holiday. Over . the course of a year, Ringo penned several notes about playing at . Butlins' holiday camps and saving up enough money to buy an old Ford . Zodiac car. In October 1962 he told of how he had recently been asked to join a new group called the Beatles as their new drummer. Ringo wrote: 'I got a phone call asking me would I join the Beatles and I said yes and I left Rory.' At the time, his girlfriend had no idea the song would propel the group to international stardom until it reached number one in the charts and they appeared on the BBC. Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison aka The Beatles . Mrs Speight said: 'I thought the letters had been lost. I gave them to my daughter Samantha over 20 years ago because she wanted to take them to university with her to show her friends. 'I found them again by chance. We had some field mice in the garage that were chewing away at some of the cardboard boxes so I decided to have a clear out. 'I came across a box full of Samantha's university work and found the letters. I had no idea they were there.' Katherine Schofield, entertainment memorabilia specialist at auctioneers Bonhams said:'The letters are so personal and show the personality of Ringo before he became the figure that he is in popular culture today.' It was in 1957 that Ringo Starr co-founded his first band - which was called the Eddie Clayton Skiffle Group. Three . years later, when the Beatles formed in 1960, the drummer was a member . of another Liverpool group - the Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. The . band entered a competition called Search for Stars at the Liverpool . Empire Theatre in 1959 - reaching second place ahead of 150 acts. The . competition helped the band see impressive success in the local area, . across the rest of the UK and in Europe. However, . Ringo - who was regarded as one of the best drummers in Liverpool by . this point -  quit the Hurricanes and joined the Beatles in August 1962, . replacing Pete Best. Following the band break-up in 1970, he released several successful . singles including It Don't Come Easy, Photograph and You're Sixteen and . Back Off Boogaloo -  which peaked at number two.
for over £16,000. Doreen Speight, who met Ringo to 1961 and 1962. Mrs Speight, from  Bredbury in his life in another band - Rory Storm and the written by Ringo Starr to his girlfriend before thought the letters had been lost - but found boxes of files in her garage when she realised she had a minor mouse problem that she found them They sold at auction for a hammer price of