'I stumbled across my favourite childhood book at a car boot sale - it sparked an incredible search'

A dad went on a 21-year nostalgia trip after he found an old favourite book at a car boot sale… with his own name written inside. He had stumbled upon the very same copy of the ET: The Extra-Terrestrial book he had owned as a child.

The coincidence sent Simon Papouis, 49, on a mission to hunt down all his old toys, 36 years after they were lost when his parents divorced. He said: “I couldn’t believe it when I spotted my name and my address on the inside cover. I felt emotional, the hairs on my arms stood up. I got my shiny 50p out, the best 50p I have ever spent.”

Now Simon has been inspired to hunt down another 100-150 of his old toys. The prized toys, which include a BMX bike, remote controlled trucks and a model of the Titanic, are all kept in secure storage with CCTV cameras watching them.

The dad-of-two, from Worthing, West Sussex, says the most prized toy is an unopened Tamiya Sand Scorcher model car kit. Simon added: “I don’t play with the toys. I am a grown up in a grown-up , but I think it is nice knowing that I have them. From a sentimental point of view, it was absolutely worth every penny. I like to think of things as investments.”

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Simon has now started the The Cine Film Factory, specialising in transferring old film to modern formats. Simon says the business is a great passion of his as he loves returning lost memories to nostalgic people like him.