A woman who lost her allotment after forgetting to pay her rent on time has had the plot generously returned to her by the tenant who had replaced her.

Her kind successor, who wishes to remain anonymous, got in touch with the woman’s family after reading in this newspaper how Jessica Guida, daughter of Dereham allotment holder Margaret, had begged Dereham Town Council to reinstate her mother’s tenancy.

Mrs Guida’s daughter had said her mother had intended to pay her rent, but had been disrupted from doing so by the changes to ordinary life brought about by lockdown, and that there had been a “communication breakdown” with the council.

The new tenant asked the council to return the allotment to Mrs Guida and an alternative plot at another site was offered to him.

Mrs Guida said that she was “very grateful” to the new tenant.

“Once he learned of the situation from the EDP, his morals and good heart dictated his actions: a considerate and proper English gentleman,” she added.