If the shoe fits: Cobbler finds ‘Cinderella’ who abandoned broken sandals

A cobbler who mended a pair of broken shoes after discovering them outside his shop has found a “happy ending”, saying: “Cinderella has got her shoes back.”

Peter Corke, the owner of The Market Cobbler in Lancaster, discovered the tan wedges on the doorstep of his shop at around 7am on Saturday, noticing the strap had broken and come away from the sole on the left sandal.

The 61-year-old repaired the strap free of charge and placed a post on Facebook in an attempt to reunite the mended footwear with their rightful owner in a “city-wide Cinderella hunt”.

On Tuesday, Mr Corke said a woman came to collect the mislaid shoes on behalf of her daughter and “insisted” on paying for their repair.

Peter Corke shared images of the shoes on Facebook in an attempt to locate their owner (Peter Corke/PA)PA Media - Peter Corke

Mr Corke and the woman, who did not wish to be identified, instead agreed to donate £10 to Wolfwood, a local wildlife and dog rescue charity.

Mr Corke, from Lancaster, told the PA news agency: “It’s a happy ending, Cinderella has got her shoes back.”

Recalling the moment the woman came to collect them, he said: “It was quite busy, with customers in and out.

“Normally, when someone comes in to collect their shoes I remember who they are.

“She said, ‘I’ve come for the shoes,’ and I couldn’t remember who she was, but she said, ‘I’ve come for the shoes.'”

The cobbler said the shoes are ‘back with their rightful owner’ (Peter Corke/PA)PA Media - Peter Corke

Mr Corke said the woman explained she had come to collect them on her daughter’s behalf after she was “a little bit embarrassed” about the publicity following his post on Facebook.

He said the woman “insisted” on paying for the repaired shoes, which Mr Corke had originally intended to mend for free.

Instead, she donated £10 to the charity.

“The shoes are back with their rightful owner and Wolfwood have got a little donation that will help them,” Mr Corke said.

“So a happy ending really. Cinderella has got her shoes back.”