THE conscience of a mystery figure has led a couple of newlyweds to be reunited with their wedding pictures.

Jill and Surinder Bali, both aged 50, were devastated when the digital camera with every single picture of their big day was lost.

But now, thanks to an appeal in the Oxford Mail, the memory card with all the images of their special day has been anonymously returned, although the camera remains missing.

The Kidlington couple, who tied the knot on July 2, said they would be eternally grateful to the mystery person, who claimed in a letter to have found the camera at a car boot sale.

Mrs Bali, who works in a travel agency in Kidlington, added: “Surinder came into see me at work, gave me a huge kiss and said ‘they’ve got our pictures’. I was just so happy.

“People have been asking me every week whether there is any news on the pictures.

“It feels fantastic to have them back.”

The couple, who have been together 10 years, spent months planning to celebrate their union in front of their parents, four children and a host of other family and friends at Bicester Hotel and Spa, formally Chesterton Golf Club.

They had organised for a professional photographer, but after a last minute change of plan, amateur photographer and cousin of the bride Roger Hopkins stepped in.

But as Mr Hopkins got out of a taxi at a relative’s house after the event, he believes he left the camera in the car.

Mr Hopkins, of Burford, admitted the problem might have been down to ‘enjoying the party a bit too much’ once he had clocked off his duties as wedding photographer.

The 55-year-old added: “I don’t care about the camera.

“Those sort of pictures are priceless, I am just so glad they have been returned.

“Just goes to show, a bit of advertising in the paper pays!”

Mrs Bali said the most precious of the 200 or so pictures were the shots of her with her mother, daughter and son, who gave her away.

She said: “My mum was just over the moon that they have been returned and she has got something to show her friends.

“We’re really grateful to the Oxford Mail for printing the appeal. If it hadn’t gone in the paper, we would never had seen them again.”

Mr Bali added: “We would like to say thanks to whoever it was who returned the card.

“If we had not had the pictures it would have left such a huge gap in the whole thing.

“We are really very happy.”