A SEARCH is on for the family of Archie Thomas whose memorial bench washed up on the shores of a beach in North Devon.

Kathryn Challis, who lives in Braunton, discovered the bench on Saunton beach on New Year's Day while out walking her two dogs.

Desperate to return it to its rightful owners, she posted pictures on a local Facebook group of the bench which has a plaque saying: "In loving memory of Archie Thomas. 1969 - 1985. He loved this place".

Web sleuths have since managed to uncover that the teenager, who would have been about 16, was from Worcester and his mother's maiden name was Allen.

She said: "The bench was washed up at the far end of Saunton Beach in North Devon.

"I came across it whilst walking my dogs. I have empathy for a family having a memorial bench because we have a bench for our brother who died eight years ago and would be very upset if it went missing.

"Furthermore, my mother died recently, losing a loved one is a difficult time so if reuniting a memorial bench is possible it should be done.

"I now have the bench at my home for safekeeping, a friend kindly retrieved it from the beach for me."

Grace Brown, from Barnstaple, Devon, uncovered the Worcester connection after reading the story on a local Barnstaple history page.

Mrs Brown said the story really pulled at her heartstrings as her two-year-old daughter Honey, aged two, was seriously ill having undergone major open heart surgery twice and now has a pacemaker fitted.

"When I realised they came from Worcester I wanted to help find the family as my husband grew up near by in Cleobury Mortimer and went to college in Worcester.

"We have lots of family in Kidderminster and surrounding areas.

"In the past two years we had a daughter who was very ill and we nearly lost her.

"Thankfully we didn't but have met a lot of families that have lost children and it really pulled on my heart strings. "We now run Honey's Bravery Bags, a children's charity that supports seriously ill children locally, so, as you can imagine, I really wanted to help find the owner of the bench."

* Can you help return the memorial bench to its rightful owner? Contact reporter Catherine Phillips by emailing cp@worcesternews.co.uk