THE season of goodwill arrived early in Dumbarton after a Good Samaritan ensured a gift lost in the town was delivered to a woman in Bournemouth in time for Christmas.

The ladies ugg gloves, bought in New York earlier this month by Joanne Reilly, from Barnhill Road, as an early Christmas gift for her cousin, were accidentally dropped in the street.

But, against all the odds, the soggy envelope containing the luxury gloves was found by a dog walker who repackaged them and paid for them to be sent to their rightful recipient.

The bizarre saga of the far-travelled gloves started when Joanne Reilly went to the Big Apple with friend Amanda Evans earlier this month for a five-day, pre-Christmas shopping break.

While there, she bought the gloves as a gift for cousin Linda McKay, who lives in Bournemouth.

Rather than send them from New York, Joanne brought them home and put them in a package to post.

But when she got to the post office she couldn’t find them and realised they must have dropped out of her car.

At that point she gave up on the idea of ever getting the gloves to her cousin.

However, in an email to the Reporter, a delighted Linda revealed the gloves had been sent to her south coast home thanks to an anonymous dog walker who found them in the street.

She said: “I got home from work to find a package containing the gloves. Someone had repackaged them and paid for them to be posted to Bournemouth. I have no idea who this person was whose act of kindness has made my day.

“I would really appreciate if you could print a message to the dog walker in Dumbarton who kindly posted me my gloves.”

She added: "I have no other way of thanking this kind person.”

In a note to Linda, the Good Samaritan said: “I found a wet, soggy envelope when I was out walking my dog with an address that was barely visible, so I have posted it in the hope you get your gloves as was intended.”

Meanwhile, bank worker Joanne, said: “We still don’t have a clue who found the gloves but it was very kind of them to repackage them and pay for them to be sent to Bournemouth.

“I had given up hope of ever getting them to Linda in time for Christmas.”

If you are the Good Samaritan who found the gloves, send us an email at editorial@dumbartonreporter.co.uk or call 0141 435 8842.