A woman has been reunited with a wedding ring she lost during a general election after council staff found the band in a ballot box.
Charlotte, 22, who did not want to give her second name, wore the keepsake from her mother Janice, when she was casting her vote on December 12 in Manchester.
When she got home and realised she had misplaced the golden ring she searched high and low but without any success.
It was only when she had a conversation with a friend that she wondered if she had given away more than her choice of MP when she slid her voting slip into the black box.
“It was about 8.30pm when I went to vote as I had been working all day and was very tired," the John Lewis department store worker Charlotte said.
“The ring was on my index finger and was slightly loose so it must have fallen off as I posted my vote into the box and pulled my hand away.
“I went home and later realised I had lost the ring and looked everywhere for it. I was really upset that I couldn’t find it."
The next day Charlotte met up with a friend at the Trafford Centre and talk soon turned to her missing heirloom.
Her friend has seen a social media post about a ring found in a ballot box at Cloverlea Primary School in Timperley, Greater Manchester and wondered if it was the same band that Charlotte wore.
“The penny dropped and I realised it must be mine," she added.
"I phoned Trafford Council and described the ring and they said they had it at the Town Hall.”
“I am delighted to have found it, I didn’t want to face my mum’s wrath.I’m going to be a lot more careful in the future. Thanks to the council for helping me with this.”
Sara Saleh, Trafford Council’s corporate director of people, said: “I am absolutely delighted to have presented the ring to Charlotte. We are so pleased to have traced her – and to give her the best Christmas present ever!”
