A mum-to-be was reunited with her own father after a regional daily’s Facebook appeal.

The Manchester Evening News shared 20-year-old Jess Hickey’s plea to help find homeless David Oxton, who has been living rough for years on the streets of Manchester.

Jess grew up not knowing her dad until a chance meeting in the city centre four years ago finally allowed the pair to reconnect.

But since November she’d been unable to contact him – and was alarmed for his safety as well as desperate to break the news that he was going to become a grandad.

Jess and David were reunited after the MEN shared her appeal

After the MEN shared her appeal, Jess was able to track him down.

It turned out that David had lost his phone following a fire, meaning Jess couldn’t contact him.

She told the newspaper: “It’s overwhelming to know that everybody was trying to help me. It’s been so tiring, but I really appreciate everybody’s help.”