I lost my mother five years ago - then a surprise appearance from a robin made me realise she's still with us

Robin sightings are commonplace across the UK; however many believe there are deeper, spiritual meanings to their appearances. Some consider the beloved birds, famed for their bright red chests, to be symbols of friends, spouses or family members who have passed away, sending messages and offering comfort from beyond the grave. One woman has shared the extraordinary encounter she had with a robin which she took as a sign from her late mother.

Debbie Smith, from Leicester, said the feathered friend perched itself on the barrier in front of her daughter at a local football match where it remained for the entire duration of the game. She told FEMAIL she believes the adorable critter was a reincarnation of her mother who used to work at the ground's cafeteria. 'My mum, Margaret, passed away in January, 2020. She worked at the King Power Stadium for Leicester City Football Club in the staff canteen,' Debbie said.

'This robin sat in the Kop end for the whole match, right in front of where her grand daughter Rosie sits at the recent match last month. I am a great believer that it is her!'. 'She would have been telling the players to win some games and not to get relegated.'. Debbie's mother, who died five years ago, worked at the King Power Stadium for Leicester City Football Club in the staff canteen. For many people who have lost a loved one, robins are viewed as symbols of visits from the dead, and an unexpected appearance can indicate that their relatives, friends or spouses are near.

Countless stories have been shared by individuals affected by grief and loss, who have experienced a moment of comfort when a robin has visited during a particularly dark time. The idea that robins are reincarnated love ones dates back to ancient British folklore. In Celtic mythology, the robin was a symbol of passion as well as new beginnings and were believed to bring messages of hope and rebirth. Robins are often linked to Christmas and the story of Christ in Christian symbolism. Some Christians believe a robin was by Jesus’s side at the crucifixion, and its red breast is said to have come from a drop of his blood.

Other legends say a small brown bird fanned the flames of a fire to keep the baby Jesus warm - with its chest burning and turning red. Many Brits will also be familiar with the phases: 'Robins appear when loved ones are near' - the belief that seeing a robin means a late loved one is looking down on you. She said a robin sat right in front of where her grand daughter Rosie sits at recent match for the whole duration of the game last month: 'I am a great believer that it is her'.

One mother, who lost son to a brain tumour, was shocked to receive a 'sign' from her little boy when she visited his grave on the anniversary of his death. Jack Robinson, from Waterlooville, Hampshire, died aged four on April 1st 2014. Three years later, in April 2017, his mother Marie, now 53, asked her little boy to give her a sign before visiting his grave later that day. When she arrived at the cemetery she sat down on the grass next to Jack's burial spot - it was then she noticed a little robin was flying around and trying to land on her.

'He didn't seem scared at all,' Ms Robinson told the Mirror. 'He went and sat on a nearby headstone so I got my phone out to film him being close to me and he flew over and landed on my hand. 'He kept looking at me directly in my face and at one point he landed on my shoulder and nibbled me a couple of times. Yes it brought me to tears. Taking it as a sign from Jack.'. Another woman, Gill O'Neill, from Cambridge, shared how her husband of 19 years, Phil, had died aged 53 in 2015 after being diagnosed with cancer.

Describing the shock and grief as 'unbearable,' Ms O'Neill revealed her late husband had eventually found a way to 'comfort' her after his death - by coming back as a robin. She said: 'There is a saying: "A robin appears when a loved one is near," and I truly believe that has been the case with Phil. 'Whenever I need his advice, or am thinking about him, a robin appears. I know he'd say, "What a load of rubbish," but it's happened too often to be simply a coincidence.'.

'I think Phil gave me permission to fall in love again. The night of my first date with my second husband, Lawrence, I was sitting in my car 'chatting' to Phil about it, and suddenly a robin appeared on my car. 'He's helped me make other important choices, too. Phil and I set up the nursery I own together, and after his death I got really stressed wondering whether I would have to sell it. 'On the day I had to make the decision, I left to take the rubbish out and two robins were sitting on the bin.'.