Lost that priceless memento? Just give us a ring!
WHEN Morley Howard arrives at the scene of his latest incident, there are no flashing lights or blaring sirens to announce his arrival.
His uniform is some scruffy jeans, a woolly jumper and a pair of sturdy boots… and a metal detector.
He might not look like your typical first responder but Morley and his 1,600 colleagues are fast becoming the country’s fifth emergency service (behind the AA) – finding treasured items feared lost forever.
Whether it’s a precious diamond ring, a set of false teeth or car keys, no stone is left unturned when the National Ring Recovery Service arrive on the scene.
Since it was launched two years ago, the NRRS has clocked up a 95 per cent recovery rate – and call outs are on the increase.
It is estimated 24 per cent of men and 14 per cent of women lose their wedding rings, while lockdown has seen earrings become regular victims as masks are constantly taken on and off.
Morley, 48, who has been a detectorist for 12 years says: “I was out metal detecting when I was approached by a dad who’d been playing with his kids on the beach near where I live in Somerset.
“He’d lost his wedding ring and was desperate to find it before the tide came in. It was a race against time but luckily I was able to retrieve it within 30 minutes.
“Seeing the delight on people’s faces when you reunite them with their precious items is fantastic. It’s a real buzz.
“So I decided to set up a website and called on other detectorists around the country to sign up. They loved the challenge and the NRRS was born. I hope eventually we can have an emergency detectorist in every postcode.”
Cricket stumps lost under a grassy pitch, hearing aids that have dropped off and phones lost after a boozy night out are among the cache recently found by Morley.
But he reveals he’s had to brush up on his diplomatic skills since starting the service: “I’ve turned up at houses where people have told me their wedding or engagement ring has fallen off, out the bedroom window.
“If that were true, it would be lying on the ground not far away. Instead, it’s obvious there’s been an argument, the ring’s been thrown out the bedroom window and landed halfway up the garden.”
Morley’s love affair with metal detecting began when he was eight and picked up a small detector in a car boot sale.
“I used it on the beach and found £60 in one day. I was absolutely hooked.”
He adds: “Lots of kids want to give the hobby a go but lose interest quickly because the sort of machines you get in toy shops aren’t strong enough to detect anything unless you’re right over it.
“Enthusiasts usually spend between £400 and £800 on detectors.”
The success of the NRRS also raises hundreds of pounds each year for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, a charity close to Morley’s heart as his son Greg, 19, is a sufferer.
TV presenter and property expert Sarah Beeny, recently called on the NRRS after her husband Graham Swift lost a gold signet ring on their 220-acre farm in Somerset.
Graham, 49, says: “We had friends and family over and
after lunch went for a swim in the big pond. I woke up the next morning and realised I was no longer wearing my late dad’s signet ring.”
Sarah, 49, adds: “Graham has a reputation in our family for losing things, but the ring had huge sentimental value – not just for him but the whole family.”
His own searches with a cheap detector proved fruitless. After a month of looking the couple called on the NRRS.
Graham candidly admits: “I’ve always thought detecting was the dullest thing – finding a few ringpulls in the ground here and there. But I was really desperate.
“If I’m honest I didn’t think they stood a chance of finding it but in less than 20 minutes the ring was found, buried under the earth near the edge of the pond.
“It was definitely an occasion that warranted a bottle of fizz, the detectorists were terrific.”
Richard Newell lost his platinum wedding ring in a toilet block on a campsite, near Sennen Cove in Cornwall. After hours of fruitless searching Richard and wife Janine were forced to return home empty handed. In desperation they called the NRRS and despite Storm Alex raging, Lisa Chard, 48, agreed to try and unearth the precious item.
Lisa, based in Cornwall, recalls: “I could hardly sleep the night before. I knew there was going to be a bad storm and I couldn’t be certain I’d even find it.
“We’re often the last hope and it can put you under a lot of pressure – you don’t want to let people down.”
The couple waited in the car for more than two hours as Lisa searched.
She says: “The conditions were horrific. I’d been looking for a couple of hours and it wasn’t looking good. I thought I’d give it one last shot and put the detector into some hedging near the toilet.
“I got a loud signal but I still wasn’t that hopeful – there were bottles lying around and it could easily have been a bottle top.
“When the owner came over I told him to hold out his hand and he was just so delighted to see his platinum ring. The joy on people’s faces is wonderful to see.
“When we don’t find an item it’s upsetting for everyone, but luckily we seem to have more successes than failures.”
Paul Travis started metal detecting 18 months ago and was delighted to get a tricky detecting job from the NRRS.
Catherine Dey, from Bury, Lancs, lost a
‘It definitely warranted
a bottle of fizz’ ‘Sometimes you need
a little bit of luck’
gold and diamond ring after it flew off her finger when she threw a ball for her dog.
“She knew the area where it had gone missing because she saw it fly off, but just couldn’t find it,” says Paul from Oldham.
“After eight months of searching she’d had no luck. During the winter months the earth would have become very muddy and the ring could have sunk into the earth, making it impossible to see by sight.
“Fortunately, I had a head start because Catherine knew the area and amazingly I found the ring in 10 minutes, buried an inch and a half in the earth. Sometimes you need a little bit of luck on your side.”
Founder Morley reveals: “A few years ago I lost my late father’s wedding ring in a car park. I searched high and low but never got it back.when you lose something precious, you feel guilty for a long time afterwards. A part of me likes to think starting the NRRS makes up for it in some way.”
● If you need the NRRS visit lostring.co.uk