A British couple whose dream of touring Europe in a was shattered when their RV was stolen from an Italian car park have been reunited with the camper van.
Adventurer Helen Gosling and boyfriend Andrew White were devastated when the camper- nicknamed Hermy – was pinched outside a branch of IKEA in Turin.
Now the overjoyed pair have been reunited with the van after local newspaper readers turned detectives to track it down two weeks after it was stolen.
And not only did the readers of La Stampa Torino find the van parked in a side street but others even offered to put up the couple until they could be reunited.
Helen, 32 – from seaside town Sheringham, Norfolk, – said she and Andrew, 30, had been living in the RV for ten months.
It even contained an urn with the ashes of her beloved dead dog, Cookie.
But in a delighted Facebook post on 17th August, she told how Hermy had been found by two men who had read about it being stolen.
Helen said: “She’s back, baby!!!”
She added: “We don’t know all the details yet, but these incredible people Davide and Oscar (plus absolute best pal for life, Gianni Atzori in the centre) found Hermy parked on a street in Turin and notified the local newspaper La Stampa Torino where they’d seen our article yesterday.
“To Davide and Oscar, we can never thank you enough. But please contact us so we can at least buy you a drink.”
Helen revealed that the thieves had completely stripped the bus’s interior, including Cookie’s ashes.
She explained: “She’s been completely emptied, but by some miracle she’s safe.
And she thanks newspaper readers for giving her, Andrew and their pet beagle Honey Bear a home while the search was on.
Helen said: “If these people hadn’t taken us in I don’t know what we would’ve done, we would’ve been wandering the streets of Turin with a dog.
“The insurance company aren’t helping, and we’re both currently not earning at the moment, so we really don’t have much money.
“I can’t imagine a lot of people would do what they’ve done.”
She continued: “To everyone else who’s offered us support in whatever way you could, you’ve kept us going and we’ll never forget that.
“You gave us hope when we thought there was none. The number of people we’ve heard from is just astounding and we’re so grateful to each and every one of you.
“It’s been an absolute rollercoaster of emotions these past 12 days. It’s not over yet, but the end is in sight, we’ll be with you soon, Hermy.”
