Cat-astrophy ends in lots of cuddles...

Reunited . . . Eva gives Scaredy a big hug Picture by DARREN ROBINSON

IT WAS smiles all round for little Eva Burke who woke up to find her beloved Scaredy Cat toy had made a welcome return.

The two-year-old was left in tears after the Christening gift went missing during a walk in Uppermill on Saturday,

But her family’s despair turned to delight after a kind Grasscroft grandfather returned the toy following an appeal in the Chronicle.

Mum Jacqui Burke (46), of Hillside Avenue, Grotton, said: “We received a call on Tuesday night from a man whose grandson had spotted the toy in High Street, Uppermill.

“The boy thought the toy belonged to one of his classmates at St Anne’s Primary, Lydgate, so they took him home with the intention of dropping him off at the school.

“Luckily, the family spotted the appeal and my husband Mark drove to their home that very night to retrieve the toy.”

She added: “Eva was asleep when Mark returned with Scaredy Cat so we put him in bed with her and she instinctively rolled over to hug him.

“When she woke up on Wednesday, she was absolutely thrilled.

“A big thank-you must go to the family who found him and looked after him.”