AFTER 12 months absence, a Hyndburn traveller has realised there really is no place like GNOME.

This time last year Nodding Norman, a plastic garden gnome took umbridge at not being invited to his owner's surprise 60 birthday party and disappeared.

Or was he kidnapped?

Jean Barrington, of Station Road, Huncoat, found a card wishing her and her partner, Jack well, but explaining that Norman had packed his bags and hit the road.

During the past twelve months, Jean, celebrating her 61st birthday today has received 20 letters, cards and photographs from around the world but now the roaming gnome has finally returned with a friend in tow.

On Saturday night, Jean was presented with a parcel at her local pub, the Black Bull, Lowergate Road, containing Italian chocolates, Norman and his new wife --a bearded lady called Willy.

Jean said: "It is great having him back, but he is grounded now with no playing out in the garden for two weeks."

"To be honest I will miss it. At first I thought that somebody was acting the goat, then I got as bit fed up with it but it's been a laugh and it's sad that it's all over as my letters will stop now -- I will need to get a pen friend."

"I am right chuffed to get him back and everyone in the pub was cheering when I did."

As well as postcards and letters from Norman, Jean also received a letter from the Gnome Recovery Detective Agency, a branch of Gnomes Nationwide recovery Organisation (Missing or Escaped) whose president, Hyam A Finder, offered help in locating the wandering gnome. At one point she received a sinister ransom note, asking her to meet at a rendezvous point with £12.99 and a six pack of Stella Artois beer for Norman's safe return.

Despite waiting at Accrington's Asda car park for more than ten minutes, Jean returned home gnomless and as a result missed her 15 minutes of fame.

She said: "I got a telephone call asking me to go on Kilroy for an April fools special programme, but I thought it was another wind up."

"I wasn't going to trail to London after what had happened at Asda, but it turned out to be real."

Since the gnome napping everyone, especially those going on holiday, have been under suspicion and although Jean is pretty certain who is responsible but gnombody is admitting to anything.

Places Norman visited: St Helens, Southport, London, Scotland, Tokyo, Poland, Australia, Singapore, Italy, New Orleans, India.