[Solved] No contact at all with my children

Since splitting up with my ex-wife over 5 years ago she has always interfered with my relationship with our two daughters (aged 14 and 12) to the point where they no longer want anything to do with me. In the beginning I used to see them every Tuesday evening between 6 and 8 p.m. and also every Sunday between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. (her arrangements, not mine). Eventually the girls decided that they didn't want to come over on the Tuesday night and then the Sundays were made awkward by them not being able to come over every Sunday because she would make other arrangements. Sometimes when they were with me on a Sunday I would be told to bring them back early as she had made plans. In fact even when they were with me she would always contact them by text or phone call and interrupt their time with me. She never informed me about school reports/holidays, if they were ill etc. In fact the only time she seemed to call me was when there was money involved.

In February last year the girls stopped coming over due to the fact that they had issues with my current partner, none of which was instigated by her as up until then they had been coming over every Sunday and didn't have a problem being in her company. I then received a phone call months later from my ex to say that she thought I should spend the first Sunday of each month with the girls without my partner being there, needless to say this caused a lot of upset between my partner and I as the girls had no problem being in the company of her current partner. However the arrangement went ahead until March this year when I arranged to go to a PTA meeting at my youngest's school. The school informed my daughter who in turn told her mother. They were both on the telephone asking me why I had gone behind their backs etc. Since the first weekend in March I have not seen the girls or spoken to them. I now longer receive texts from my youngest (my eldest never wanted my mobile number so therefore never kept in touch unless I was seeing them). Just recently I received a phone call from my youngest and when I answered the phone and said hello she said sternly 'don't you hello me' and clicked the phone off. I then reeived another text asking if I was determined to ruin their lives. Prior to that the last time I heard from my youngest was to ask if I would sponsor her and her sister for a charity run they were doing.

I always told the girls whenever they would come around that I am always here when they needed to talk or the door was always open if they needed to visit. In fact I used to run around like a headless chicken on a Sunday when I picked them both up because if my eldest wanted to go home early I would take her back home (along with my youngest as her mum would always kick up a stink if she was left in my partners company alone) and then bring my youngest back to my house and then drop her off at the time she was due to go back home. My partner says that I am a good Dad and have never been anything different and that the girls should be grateful that I didn't leave them without wanting to know them. Things have been made difficult by their mum as she hates my partner and that is the reason why she interfered in my relationship with our children. I have told the girls why I left and despite the stuff she has been filling their heads with I feel as though they are now old enough to understand what's what and that I cannot physically force them to keep in contact/visit me. I was even told that I should try mediation but there is no point in trying to build a relationship that they aren't remotely interested in. In fact their attitude towards me makes me wonder why I am paying maintenance for them when I no longer see or hear from them.

Is anyone else in this situation? It seems unfair that I am paying over £400 a month to their mum for children who are non-existant.