The Croydon Guardian has proved just how powerful the press can be, after helping trace a mystery man who won the heart of a girl he had met only once.

The weekly paper stepped in after being contacted by Edinburgh woman Lilian Bryant, who had a brief meeting with a handsome stranger while out celebrating her birthday with friends at an Italian cafe.

Although the pair did not have chance to swap phone numbers, and Lilian did not even catch the man’s name, she felt there was a real connection between them.

So armed with all that she knew about him – that he lived in Croydon – she contacted the Guardian.

In a bid to track the mystery man down, the London title ran a front-page story under the headline ‘Wherefore art thou Romeo?’, and appealed for anyone who could help with the search to get in touch.

And shortly after the paper hit the streets, Lilian received the e-mail she had been waiting for, from her ‘Romeo’ – 29-year-old Richard Ackland.

Richard told the Guardian: “I was at work last Thursday when my flat mate rang and asked if I was in Edinburgh on the weekend of May 22.

“I checked my diary and said yes. I asked him why, and he said ‘I think you are on the front of the paper’.”

The pair have now spoken on the phone for more than six hours, and have arranged to meet in a few weeks time.

Lilian said: “It was a little bit of a surprise to say the least.

“In the back of my mind I didn’t think I would find him. But I am a great believer of what will be, will be, so we will see what happens from here.”

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