A family is desperately searching for a ‘precious and very sentimental’ piece of furniture that has gone missing.

Hazel Parker, who lives in Southampton, said the high backed farmhouse carver chair has been in her family for 200 years and had been at her Uncle Ray’s house in Hillside Road in Frodsham until he passed away in February 2016.

When his house was cleared in October, she arranged for a friend of her uncle’s to look after the chair but during a house move, it was misplaced in January this year, and Hazel fears it could have been accidentally sent to Frodsham recycle centre or a charity shop.

“We only found out last week that the chair was missing – we are so upset,” Hazel told The Chronicle. “This is a very precious heirloom that needs to stay in our family, it has so many precious memories and meaning.

"The chair has always been kept in our family – when my grandparents passed away, my Uncle Ray took the family chair to Frodsham with him.

Plea

“Soon after my uncle sadly passed away I had to have major spinal surgery, so my parents were caring for me in hospital and at home.

"Because my parents were caring for me, and couldn’t travel a great distance to collect the chair, we asked someone who knew my uncle if they could keep the family chair at their house till I was well enough for my dad to leave me and drive to pick it up.

“It wasn’t until my Dad called last week to arrange collection that he was told the sad news that our precious chair had been misplaced.”

The chair, very similar to the one in the picture, has distinctive features where Hazel’s father carved holes out of the end of each arm 55 years ago. Hazel says the holes are about the size of a five pence piece and these circular holes go down into the wood.

“Please can anyone help us get our family chair back,” said Hazel. “If anyone has seen or bought a chair like this please please let us know. We just want it back home safe and are willing to buy it back. We need it back where it belongs.”

If you think you might know where the chair is, contact the Parker family on 07815965935.