Lincolnshire village rallies in search for Jimmy the 88-year-old tortoise

A Lincolnshire village has rallied together to help the search for a missing 88-year-old tortoise that has been in the same family for four generations.

Owner Hana Smith posted an appeal on social media for help to find Jimmy, who could fit into a matchbox when he was bought from a corner shop in Spalding by her great grandmother in the 1940s.

Residents of Thorpe Le Fallows near Lincoln have come to Hana's aid after her pet went missing on 22 March, so far to no avail.

Hana said: "He came out of hibernation and a couple of days later we noticed his door was open which he must have head butted and gone for a wander."

Jimmy isn't averse to using his head as a means of entertainment, playing with a football in Hana's garden and battling with her decoy pigeons.

"It's the longest time Jimmy's been away from home but not the first time," she said. "Once he was found near a surgery at Willingham over four miles away."

Tortoises often dig deep into the ground in cold weather. One local resident offered to bring her dog to Hana's house to try to find Jimmy in the garden.

"A lot of my dad's friends have been out looking for him, poking holes with sticks and walking through ditches," she said. "They all feel like they know him because he's been around for so long.

"It's very heartwarming to think that people want to help and gives me a lot of hope that he'll be back soon."

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