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Daily Record
Daily Record
National
David Powell & Sarah Vesty

Brain cancer widow accidentally gives wedding dress to charity after donation bag mix up

A heartbroken widow is desperately appealing for help to track down her wedding dress which she accidentally donated to charity.

Josie Smith was having a clear out at her home in Rhyl, north Wales, when she placed the £1000 halterneck gown into a separate bag.

The 60-year-old then dropped off a pile of donations at an Oxfam clothing bin before later realising she had picked up the wrong bag.

She is desperate to be reunited with the hugely sentimental dress after losing her husband Leon to brain cancer four years ago, North Wales Live reports.

Josie lost Leon to brain cancer four years ago (Josie Smith)

The couple had tied the knot in Paphos, Cyprus, in November 2012 before the 56-year-old fell ill.

Oxfam have told the family that the dress could have been recycled or may be anywhere in the UK.

Josie said: "I'd been decluttering in January after New Year. I had two bags which were very similar. It is devastating to lose it.

"The dress could have been recycled or it might have been sold on. I don't have any way to find out where it is."

Josie, a homeless prevention senior support project worker for the Wallich charity, had bought her brand new wedding dress online.

Josie Smith (right) is appealing for help to find her wedding dress after accidentally leaving it at a clothing bank in Rhyl (Josie Smith)

She can't remember the designer but it is a Josephine-type design, partly chosen because that's her name. It has only been worn once.

Josie had alterations made including a halterneck with a thick ribbon around her neck and a corset-style back.

Her daughter, Sandra Sutton, also appealed for help on social media.

Sandra said: "I’m pleading for the help of social media and asking everyone if they could please share this post.

"My amazing mum donated a zip bag to the clothing bank at Sainsburys in Rhyl.

"A few weeks ago she thought that the bag contained pillows but she had accidentally pulled the wrong bag from under her bed and had taken the one containing her wedding dress.

"My mum's contacted Oxfam who have told her it could be anywhere in the UK and that they couldn’t help further.

"The dress is of huge sentimental value. Sadly we lost my stepdad from brain cancer a few years ago and this is one of the few things she’s got left.

"Understandably she is heartbroken. Please please let the power of social media reunite the dress with my mum.

"We are willing to pay a reward if we can reunite the dress with my mum. Please contact myself or Josie Salt with any information thank you."

Lorna Fallon, Oxfam's director of retail, said: "We'll work with our clothes bank collectors to do our best to track it down."

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