Metal detectorist finds Julie’s wedding ring, lost in the sand dunes

ONLY two weeks after Julie Mulholland lost her wedding ring while holidaying in Cornwall, it is safely in the hands of metal detector Dave Knapper, who plans to return it to her very soon.

Julie was devastated when she realised her wedding ring was no longer in the pocket where she had safely stowed it before taking a dip in the sea at Gwithian Towans beach.

Immediately, she returned to the spot with her husband and son to conduct a three-hour search that continued the next morning with a basic metal detector Julie had bought from Argos at 8am that morning.

After no more luck, Julie admitted defeat and returned to her home in Manchester. As a last resort, she posted on the Cornwall Lost and Found Facebook page where group member Dave Knapper came across the post. He was holidaying nearby in Cornwall and contacted Julie for more information.

Through the use of a photo and the What3Words global positioning app, they were able to dramatically narrow down the search.

After only 45 minutes Dave’s metal detector remarkably picked up Julie’s ring by the sand dunes, buried 3 inches under the sand. He said he was ‘chuffed’ and glad to have been of assistance’. Julie thanked him over an emotional video call and said she had been ‘overwhelmed by the generosity and kindness of strangers’ online.

She said she believes that it is important to celebrate these extraordinary stories to spread hope and the power of online connectivity. There have been several cases of metal detectorists finding lost rings in Cornwall recently.