Musician relieved by return of ‘irreplaceable’ instrument

GRATEFUL: Paul Wright lost flute but Good Samaritan had handed it to police

A Dundee musician is seeking the Good Samaritan who struck the right note by returning the “irreplaceable” flute he “foolishly” left on a park bench.

Paul ‘Lefty’ Wright thought he had lost the instrument after leaving it near Stannergate Road while cycling recently. The multi-instrumentalist takes it with him whenever he goes out just in case inspiration takes hold.

When he got home and realised he had left it behind he rushed back to where he stopped on his bike but it was already gone.

He reported it to the police and had almost given up hope of seeing it again but the police called days later to say it had been handed in by a woman.

He would like to express his gratitude and has left a small financial reward, along with a copy of the album the instrument inspired him to write, with the police.

The Dundee songwriter’s flute playing caught the attention of Paul Weller’s songwriting team – even though he had only started playing the instrument about four years ago.

Paul was recommended a specific model of Yamaha by a friend who teaches flute in St Andrews. The near£800 price tag put him off, however.

One night as he was going to bed, he claims to have had a “vision” of one sitting in the window of Cash Generator on Commercial Street. Early the next morning he made his way to the shop and to his surprise it was there – for the decidedly cheaper price of £80.

He said: “The loss was a potentially devastating mishap for my future musical plans as it’s irreplaceable, really.

“All I know is that it was a woman who found it. I’d sincerely like to thank her.

“There is a copy of my album they can get for her so she can see how important the instrument is to me. Without it, that record wouldn’t exist.”

Picture: Kim Cessford. Paul and his “irreplaceable flute”.