Precious scarf lost at Wembley returned to Walsall fan
He lost his irreplaceable red football scarf knitted by his late wife 140 miles away on the London Tube - and sadly resigned himself to never seeing it again.
Heartbroken David Richards' daughter Kymberley Inions set up an online campaign to find the item which was backed by a £100 reward - but the family still heard nothing.
Two months on, however, the scarf was found by a mystery person who refused the reward and sent the item back to Mr Richards in time for his 70th birthday.
Mr Richards, of Lichfield Road, Cannock, lost the precious keepsake, made by wife Jennifer, while on his way to support Walsall Football Club at Wembley on March 22.
As a present on his 70th birthday, Mrs Inions wrapped the scarf around her children and Mr Richards' younger children before bringing them to him.
Mr Richards said: "I was sat in my armchair when they came marching in with it wrapped around their necks.
"It was absolutely superb.
"Undoubtedly the best present I could have asked for, I thought I would never see it again. It means the world to me, to have it back."
Mrs Inions launched the appeal, which was shared on social media.
Bosses at Transport For London even helped with the search for the scarf and a man from London took the tube from Rickmansworth to Wembley and got off at every stop to try and locate the missing scarf.
Mrs Inions said: "I felt awful for dad and because it was knitted by mum, we had to find it.
"We hoped to have it back in a few days because of the amount of local people who travelled on the tube that day.
"People all over the world were sharing it and we had good luck messages from Australia and New Zealand."
The family had given up hope when out of the blue a few weeks ago, Mrs Inions got a text message.
She said: "It simply said, I've found your scarf, what's your address?.
"I was so excited, I've never texted so fast."
She added: "I don't know who they are or where the scarf ended up.
Mr Richards' late wife Jennifer knitted the scarf while undergoing treatment for leukaemia in 1994, but died a year later.
Mrs Inions said: "He won't let it out of his sight, but he is banned from taking it out again."