Mrs Allendale was an elderly woman who in June 1969 found two children, Peter and Susan Barlow, unsupervised at Belle Vue animal park. They were in the care of Edith Tatlock, who had briefly lost sight of them when they ran into a crowd to look at penguins. When Mrs Allendale found them, she took them home to feed them but didn't tell anyone, causing a major panic at the Barlow household, with parents Ken and Valerie eventually phoning the police. After giving the twins dinner, Mrs Allendale took them to Coronation Street, where they lived, but Val's initial gratitude turned sour when she learned about Mrs Allendale's thoughtless actions, and she accused her of being an idiot. Mrs Allendale thought she had done nothing wrong - she had, after all, given them a lovely tea.