This is the heartwarming moment a five-year-old autistic boy was reunited with his lost favourite toy - after a successful social media campaign to find it. 

Rachael Branthwaite, 26, took her son Thomas for a day out bowling but he put Monkey his "best friend" down and forgot to pick him.

But when the family from Boldon, Tyne and Wear, went back to find him he had disappeared. 

Rachael put out a Facebook appeal for the toy which is a "lifeline" for Thomas. 

The post went viral and five days later a man called to say his daughter had picked up the toy.