A STATUE of Buddha which went missing from a church near Machynlleth last year has been found in the River Dyfi by a 12-year-old girl.

The heavy concrete statue of Buddha was part of a multi-faith display at St Peter ad Vincula church, Pennal, which has included various symbols from religions around the world placed in a gallery for several years.

Several items from the display have been damaged or stolen in the past few years, but the church said that “thankfully” the thefts and vandalism have stopped.

In 2007, a statue of the Hindu deity Shiva was stolen, and the large Buddha had been damaged several times before going missing.

The missing Buddha, however, has now been found by young Jian Lloyd-Adey during a swim in the River Dyfi near Cemmaes over the hot days of the recent heatwave.

Jian, 12, was cooling off in the water last month along with a friend when she called her mum Anni Lloyd-Adey after making the discovery.

Mrs Lloyd-Adey, who lives in Cemmaes, said that she was “surprised one day when my daughter called to me to say she had found a Buddha”.

“As she was splashing about with her friend in a favourite spot beneath the Rhydygwial bridge, Jian hauled up a heavy concrete statue of the Buddha,” she said.

See this week’s Machynlleth & Llanidloes paper for the full story, available in shops and as a digital edition now