Her mum, who has since been forgiven, described the story as incredible and thanked Mr Munir.

"We had searched everywhere," the 52-year-old said. "I did feel sick. I was absolutely gutted.

"Grace is really talented and her artwork is amazing. I started to panic and thought, 'What is she going to do for university?'"

She is now urging people to make sure they go through their bags before throwing them out or donating items to charity.

"I never expected in a million years that we would get her artwork back, but it does restore your faith in humanity," she added.

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