85-year-old widow reunited with stolen wedding ring after viral Twitter appeal

Alice Thomson, whose husband died in 2013, had her wedding ring stolen during a burglary several years ago

(Getty Images)

An 85-year-old widow has been reunited with her stolen wedding ring after an appeal to trace her went viral on social media.

Debbie Davidson, a tour guide based in Edinburgh, recently decided to start gardening in order to pass the time during lockdown.

While repotting a plant, she discovered a ring with the inscription: “Norman and Alice 5.8.61.”

Keen to find the rightful owners of the ring, Ms Davidson shared a post on Facebook stating that she was searching for either Alice or Norman, adding that they may be from Edinburgh or Inveresk.

The appeal quickly gained traction on social media when Ms Davidson’s schoolfriend, BBC Radio 4 presenter Martha Kearney, shared it on Twitter.

The radio presenter’s involvement prompted hundreds of people in Scotland to attempt to track Alice and Normal down through Scotland’s national records.

One person managed to find Alice and Norman Thomson on Scotland’s marriage register, while another found the couple’s daughter, Morag, on Instagram.

Jane Bloomfield, who tracked down Morag, said she was “quite nervous” about getting in touch with her because she felt “it was a bit intrusive”.

“But she was really, really pleased that it had been found because it was something that had been stolen in a burglary,” she said.

Alice Thomson, to whom the ring belonged, had lost it several years ago when it was stolen during a burglary.

Morag said she “cried and cried” when she learnt her mother’s stolen ring had been found, Mrs Thomson said memories came “flooding back” as a result of the discovery.

“I never dreamt that after all those years somebody would recover it,” Mrs Thomson stated.

“I am so grateful that so many people have taken such a lot of trouble to trace me. It’s quite incredible.”

Mrs Thomson explained that her husband, Norman, passed away seven years ago.

“It brings back so many memories, doesn’t it? My husband died at the end of 2013 – just to have it back, well, as I say, memories (come) flooding back,” she said.

“It is just unbelievable that something like this could happen.”