A WOMAN who devotes her life to working for charity has lost her wedding ring in highly unusual circumstances and has a 40,000-to-one chance of getting it back.
The gold ring fell into one of the 40,000 free student packs which are being distributed in Quinnworth and Crazy Prices supermarkets throughout the State all this week.
The packs, which contain a variety of small presents, such as crisps, chocolates, soup, etc are officially called College University Packs. They are handed out to third-level students.
The packs were assembled by disabled workers at Cheeverstown Enterprises, Co Dublin. Mrs Yvonne Mahon, from Tallaght, who is described as a "tireless worker for charity", was one of the supervisors showing how to fill the bags when her ring fell off and slipped into one of the packs. She did not miss it until later.
Ms Louise Dunne, of Big Ideas, the marketing and promotional company involved, which pays the packers, said: "The ring naturally has great sentimental value to Yvonne and we are appealing to any student who finds it to get in touch with us (Tel 4531399).
"The packs have gone to every corner of the country and we don't know if the ring is in Dublin, Killarney or Galway. It could be anywhere. We are relying on some honest student to discover it and get in contact with us. It would mean so much to Yvonne.
Big Ideas has sent a memo to Quinnsworth and Crazy Prices, asking their staffs to mention the ring to students getting the packs.
Some 20,000 of the packs are distributed in the Dublin area and the rest are sent to various parts of the State.