THE MYSTERY of a family photo album found at Chepstow Garden Centre has been solved with the help of the Chepstow Review.

Last week we published a selection of some of the dozens of photos from the 1920s to the 1970s in the hope that our readers would help reunite the album with its owners.

In fact just hours after the Review hit news­agents' shelves, Pam Powell had received a phone call from a friend telling her she was in the paper.

A delighted Mrs Powell was presented with the family treasure by Judy Westwood of Chepstow Garden Centre in Pwllmeyric.

Until she received the call from fellow walker Mike Birbeck, Mrs Powell had no idea she had lost the album.

She said: "I showed it to a friend in the coffee shop at the garden centre and we were talking about old Bulwark.

"I bought some plants and must have put the album on the ground to put the plants in the car and forgotten it.

"I didn't realise it was missing until I got a call to say my picture was in the paper.

"I had no idea why my picture should be in the paper – at first I thought it might have had some­thing to do with the fact it would have been my 53rd wedding anniversary that day.

"I'm just so grateful to get it back. We often meet for supper and we'll get out one of the albums and look back at the old days.

"I probably wouldn't have realized it was gone until we went to look for it."

Garden centre owner Mr James Boyle, said "It's wonderful that we've been able to return the album.

"It is a fascinating album and we have been trying to find out who owned it.

"We could work out there were connections to Channel View in Bulwark and to St Arvans and we made inquiries but couldn't find the owner.

"We also con­tacted members of our Gardeners' Club and some came and looked at it but we had no luck."

A picture of Mrs Powell with husband Mick and children Debbie and Dale taken in 1970 prompted the telephone call that led to the return of the album.

Mrs Powell grew up in Wiltshire Bungalows which was on the site of the Severn Bridge social club and the family also lived in Channel View.

The album also con­tains a letter from a former German prisoner of war after his return to Germany and press cuttings of important family events.