A woman has been reunited with a Bible she feared might have been lost for ever – thanks to the Examiner.

Maureen Bell, nee Oddy, can’t remember how the lavishly illustrated, ornate Bible fell out of her family’s hands years ago.

But after an appeal in the Examiner several days ago by Amanda Senior, of Lepton, Maureen has been reunited with the classic text.

Maureen, 74, of Greetland, said: “It’s wonderful! This much treasured Bible has finally come home.

“I was at Trudys hairdressers in Westbourne Road, Marsh, the other day and she mentioned the story to me and immediately I thought it must be mine.

“When Amanda presented it to me I recognised the inscriptions regarding my first marriage to Derek Stephens in 1959 and the birth of my son Michael.

“It’s bizarre but I can’t recall how I got it originally. It’s a long time ago!”

Maureen, who has been married twice, worked as a nurse in Huddersfield and Halifax and a weaver at Edwin Walkers in Leeds Road.

She lived at Blackhouse Road, Birkby, before moving to Blacker Road, Birkby, and now Greetland.

She said: “It’s a lovely Bible and I am so pleased to have it back after all its travels.

“It feels as though it has come home. Thanks to Amanda.”

Amanda, a 47-year-old sales advisor and property landlord, said: “It’s great to see Maureen with this Bible after all these years apart.

“It’s beautifully illustrated and obviously very precious to her. I’m just so glad to be able to reunite her with it. It was quite an emotional moment.

“I’d had this Bible for more than 10 years or so though I can’t remember how I came by it. I was clearing some things out and thought I had better try to give it back to its original owner.”