Groom found after dress gift sparks search

The dress from the 1950s was given to the Sue Ryder store in Headingley, Leeds, with no contact details.

But the resulting publicity from the shop’s appeal led to them finding 86-year-old Gordon Dickinson. He said: I’m a bit lost for words. I never thought it would cause so much fuss. I thought the dress deserved to fetch more than a couple of pounds so it needed to go to a place where it would be appreciated.”

The dress belonged to his wife Peggy who passed away in 2011. Mr Dickinson said she had decided against buying a traditional wedding gown as she wanted a dress which she could get repeated use from in the austere 1950s. picture: bruce rollinson