Staff and youngsters at a Great Yarmouth nursery are delighted after they were reunite with their missing cuddly orangutan.

Kwame is the much-loved companion for youngsters at Hillside Nursery in Bradwell and has been visiting children in their homes with his best friend Dossie the bear for many years.

But disaster struck when the fluffy friend, a companion for generations of children, got lost during an outing to Great Yarmouth.

Staff put up missing posters and alerted parents but after there were no positive sightings they came to the Mercury for help, and put out a public appeal.

We put his story online and it was quickly seen by more than 1,900 people on our Facebook page and shared on our Twitter feed - and was even picked up by an orangutan charity based in America.

Nadine Barber, nursery manager, said the primate playmate was a “much loved” member of the nursery, and staff were “devastated” when he went missing.

“These two little toys go out [with the children] who tak them home and the parents then write in a diary and bring back photos,” she added.

“We’ve got diaries going back quite a few years and the children love to sit and read about where Dossie and Kwame went.”

The cuddly monkey was enjoying an outing to Great Yarmouth with Dossie when he went missing.

He was taken to the market and then back to Bradwell via Gapton Hall and it is believed he was lost somewhere along the way.

But the much-loved monkey was successfully reunited with his delighted young playmates and Dossie this week, after being spotted in a taxi by a member of staff.