Musician Phil Cunningham has revealed how his mother’s missing wedding ring has been found after a 34-year wait - by the new owners of a former council house where the star grew up.
The entertainer's late mum Mary lost the ring in the garden of the house in Magdalene, Edinburgh, in 1986.
The family had lived at the property since 1957.
The wedding ring was found just in time to mark the third anniversary of Mary passing away.
The Scottish folk musician said the gold ring was unearthed by the new owners of the former council house where Mary Cunningham lived until her death three years ago.
He praised the new occupants of the property saying it’s a reminder that there are “good, honest people..out there”.
And it was thanks to some local knowledge from neighbours that helped re-united Mary’s ring with the Cunningham family.
Phil - whose new album with Aly Bain is entitled “No Rush” - said: “It was lovely for it to arrive now, especially as we’re just marking the anniversary of her passing.
“Thirty-four years ago my mum lost her wedding ring and it just about broke her heart because my mum and dad weren’t wealthy at all. Everything that they possessed meant a lot to them.
“Because it was my dad who had given it to her, she was very distressed and she never found it again,” the composer and musician told BBC Scotland’s John Beattie.
Monday marked three years to the day that Mary died.
The 60-year-old accordionist said he, his brother and sister were brought up in the house which was always full of “lots of fun”.
He told the BBC that the loss of the ring was devastating for his mother.
The musician said he had “completely forgotten about it” until his sister rang him last week to tell him “this incredible story”.
But he said the family are now “over the moon” to have the cherished ring back.
He said:“After Mum died, new people moved into the house.
“Just recently they were out digging their garden and they came upon a gold ring in the soil that said ‘Jack to Mary’.”
They spoke to a neighbour who knew the Cunningham family and were able to put them in touch.
Phil said his sister was now wearing the ring on her pinkie - as his mother had been a “tiny wee pocket mum”.
He added:“You just hope that she’s looking down somehow and she knows that it’s been found and it’s safe and sound back in the family.
“It’s nice to remember and be reminded that there are good people out there - good, honest people who were willing to pursue finding the person it belonged to rather than sticking it in a pawn shop.”
Phil, who is a regular performer on the BBC’s Hogmanay celebrations, was made an MBE for services to Scottish music in 2002.
