Bunny happy returns: Twitter reunited girl with her toy rabbit after it went missing on shopping trip Daisy Young, two, lost her favourite toy, Bunny, on a shopping trip But she was found by a stranger, who put the news on social media Eventually word that Bunny was found made its way back to Daisy's family The beloved toy was returned safe and sound, to Daisy's delight By Paul Harris and Michael Allen There's a reason why two-year-old Daisy Young is cuddling Bunny the rabbit very tightly - and it's not just because she loves her more than any other toy. Bunny, Daisy's constant companion since she was just ten months, vanished from her side on a family shopping trip to the January sales. Daisy's mother Hayley Sworn only noticed Bunny was missing when they got home. Just how would she break the news to Daisy that the precious gift from her grandma was gone forever? Never let me go: Daisy Young is reunited with Bunny, through the power of social media In a different age the family might have appealed for help by putting up posters around the shopping centre where Bunny was last seen, or on lamp-posts along the route home near Redhill in Surrey. Instead, the power of 21st century social media - and the efforts of tens of thousands of strangers - got there first to bring Bunny and Daisy back together. Bunny was found in a car park in Croydon and pictures of her were posted on Twitter in an attempt to track down the owner. Inseparable: Daisy and Bunny take a nap Two weeks later, after notching up more than 50,000 views online, Bunny returned unharmed from her adventure, with a note explaining her absence. "We didn't think we would ever get it back," said Miss Sworn, a primary school teacher who is engaged to Daisy's father Kieron Young, a 35-year-old business analyst. Daisy has a tendency to throw things and we'd obviously missed that she'd thrown it. It's very treasured and it goes everywhere with her. We just planned to buy her another one. Grand day out: Daisy takes Bunny everywhere - they even share a car seat (right) What she didn't realise was that Bryony Merritt, a press officer at Birkbeck, University of London, was on the case. To the rescue: Bryony Merritt found Bunny and alerted social media After finding Bunny in the car park, and noticing Daisy's name on a tag, she alerted Croydon-related Twitter accounts to her find. The appeal was eventually forwarded on to Lostbox, a website that uses social media to match lost and found items to owners. One of Miss Sworn's friends saw a photo of Bunny online, all perky ears and wearing her distinctive floral dress, and sent her the link. The family then got in touch with Miss Merritt, 30, who volunteered to post Bunny home. In a card accompanying the package she wrote: "Dear Daisy. Here is your bunny - home safe and sound. We had a lovely time together - walks in the woods, jumping competitions etc. But Bunny missed you and wanted to come home. Yesterday Miss Sworn said: "I let Daisy open the envelope and she was so thrilled. She said: "I love my Bunny." I do keep checking every day that we've got her. We're going to be vigilant from now on.