A MUM who lost her treasured engagement ring in a York park was stunned when it was returned - thanks to a plea for help on social media.

Lilly Taylor, 31, of Holgate, York, realised her ring - a white gold band encrusted with diamonds - was missing after collecting her oldest son from school and going home via West Bank Park.

She went back to the park to search, but it was already getting dark and the task seemed like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Lilly said she “took a shot in the dark” by posting an appeal for help on social media site York Mumbler.

And she was stunned when the following evening a woman responded to say her niece had found a ring in the park - and it could be her treasured engagement ring.

Lilly, a civil servant who lives with her husband Andrew, 37, a self-employed developer, and their two sons Rory, seven, and Martin, who is almost two, said she had all but given up on ever seeing her cherished ring again.

She said: “I went to collect my older son from school and we always go to the park after.

“When we got home, I noticed the ring was missing. I tried to retrace my steps, but it was dark and I couldn’t see it.

“I made a post on Mumbler, which was a bit of a long shot really. I’d resigned to the fact the ring was lost.”

Lilly wanted to try everything she could to get her ring back and she posted her appeal on the social media site.

The next evening Lilly received a response from a woman called Emily.

Lilly said: “Emily messaged me, and said she thought the ring her niece had found was mine. She sent me a picture, and it was definitely it. It’s quite distinct.

“I was quite surprised it was found in the park. It was really lucky.”

Lilly described Emily as "honest and kind".

“I went round straight away and offered a reward," said Lilly. "The ring has sentimental value. We went at the earliest opportunity. She said she couldn’t take the full reward. She was very kind hearted.”

Lilly and Andrew got married in 2019 with Andrew having proposed the year before.

Lilly said: “He caught me completely by surprise during a weekend away in Ripon back in 2018, having tried very hard to keep it a secret.

“I was over the moon, and I’m really glad we managed to find the ring after it was lost because we could never replace the ring that Andrew proposed with.

“We got married in 2019, and in hindsight we were very lucky that we had the chance to tie the knot before the pandemic hit.”

Whilst delighted to be reunited with her ring, Lilly admitted that she needed to take steps to prevent a similar mishap happening again.

“I definitely need to get it re-sized,” she said.

West Bank Park, in Acomb Road, Holgate, is managed by City of York Council and has been awarded a Green Flag Award each year since 2006.