A grandma who believes she owns one of the world's oldest unopened Easter eggs has said there's a heartbreaking reason why she won't let go of the chocolate treat.
Ann Gibbs, 89, is one year younger than the Easter egg that she has kept safe in its original packaging, and although she considered "throwing it in the bin" when she moved house four years ago, she couldn't bring herself to ditch it - because it belonged to the sister she never got to meet.
The woman explained the egg was bought for her sister who had been in an accident, and she never got to eat it because she sadly passed away in hospital just one month before her fifth birthday.
Speaking to the Daily Record, Ann, from Ayrshire, Scotland, said: "The Easter egg was bought for my sister who had been in an accident.
"But she never got it because she died in hospital just a month before her fifth birthday. My auntie took the egg and hid it in a cupboard so my mum, who was obviously distraught, couldn't see it."
The grandma was born one year after her sister died, and although she never knew her, she still finds the story behind the Easter egg "heartbreaking" - which is why she hasn't been able to part with it.
She added: "Just before my auntie died about 50 years ago, she gave me the Easter egg.
"I didn't know what to do with it, so I put it in a shoebox and out of sight. When I was moving house four years ago, I came across it and wondered what I should do with it. I thought about throwing it in the bin but I couldn't do it. I just had to take it to my new house with me."
Ann said her sister's death is still "painful" to talk about, and she still thinks about the sibling she never met "every Easter".
"My granddaughter has looked into it and thinks this is definitely the oldest unopened Easter egg in the world," she explained, "All of my family know the story behind it.
"It's painful to talk about, even though I never met my sister and was born the year after she died. I still think about her every Easter.
"There's no point in me throwing the egg out now but I've told my children to get rid of it when I go. It might be in its box but I don't suppose any of them would fancy eating it."
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