Kind stranger returns lost purse containing £600

Daz Gilbert, 46, discovered the purse under a bench while working at Idlewells Shopping Centre.

He said: "It felt really heavy and when I opened it I found £600 in £20 notes all rolled up.

"I couldn't find a name and address at first, but then I found a water meter card which gave a woman's address in Pinxton - but there was no house number."

After he had finished work for the day Daz drove to the address.

After spending 45 minutes knocking on doors trying to find the purse's owner he eventually found the right house.

He said: "I asked the lady, who was called Valerie, if she had lost anything that day. And she said yes I have, its my purse and she described it."

The elderly woman so grateful that she was moved to tears by the return of her purse and all her money.

She was about 79 years old I think she said and she'd taken all that money out to pay some bills and buy some Christmas presents.

When she realised she got it all back, and none of it was missing she just started crying."

"I just thought my mum is a similar age and I know what she would feel like if that was her, especially at this time of year when people are struggling."

"She called me her angel. It made me well up to see her get so emotional."

"Then she started to tell me she had just lost her husband which made me even shed a tear. I just hope I've made her a little happier and now she has one less worry over Christmas."

Daz said Valerie tried to give him some a the money as a reward, which he intially refused, but she tucked some notes into his shirt pocket upon finding out he had a newborn baby, Alanna-Rae, aged four months."

He said: "She tucked some money into my shirt pocket and told me to get my little girl a Christmas present, I didn't want to take any money off her but she wouldn't let me say no, when I looked later it turned out to be £50.

"She told me to buy my little girl a Christmas present so that's what I did, and I spent it on some clothes for her."