'The smile on her face was enough' - Man praised for act of generosity after returning lost purse to elderly woman through social media appeal

Paul Young 37, runs a removals business across West Yorkshire and was working in Rycroft Green flats in Swinnow on Friday 16 April, when he discovered a purse on his way home.

Mr Young told the Yorkshire Evening Post that "just as we were finishing up on Friday evening we found a purse outside containing money but no ID or bank cards.

"We suspected that it may be one of the residents but couldn’t be sure as many people enter the building.”

"At the end of the day you don’t know if it’s the last of somebody’s money or it’s all they have left,” he added.

After discovering the purse, Mr Young immediately posted on Facebook that he’d found a purse and wished for it to be returned to its owner, and hoped social media would enable this to happen.

He wrote: "Been working in Rycroft green most of the day, just come out and found a purse full of money.

"Really want to get it back to its owner but can’t find the warden so hoping the power of Facebook can help find its owner.

"Just let me know what’s in the purse and you can have it back."

The Facebook post was quickly shared by social media users and Mr Young told the YEP how he received a phone call on Saturday 17 April from one of the staff at the flats, who told him a disabled lady had lost a purse.

Mr Young then went round to the flats and reunited the purse with the resident, who told him she had been "upset for the whole day" worrying about her lost purse.

He then received hundreds of messages of thanks following his act of generosity, including from Pudsey councillor Simon Seary, who said: "Well done and thank you."

Speaking to the YEP, Paul said: "The smile on her face was enough".

"I hope one day if it ever happens to me or my family, the same thing happens,” he added.