Lost antique wedding ring found on Porthleven beach in Cornwall

Seventy-eight-year-old Julia Francis from Ashton was with her husband John and daughter Lin having a splash in the sea yesterday (July 29) when she took a tumble on the shoreline and in the process lost her wedding ring.

Julia used to be a confident swimmer but due to impaired balance, diabetes, glaucoma and partial sightedness she is no longer as mobile as she used to be.

The ring held so much sentimental value to the family, with Julia and John being together since they were 14 years old, and married for 55 years. 

Her daughter Lin Francis, a former community midwife who now works at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in ultrasound, put out a plea for help in finding the ring, which was shared by the Packet this morning (Saturday) in an article. 

Now, in a joyful turn of events, the ring has been found after a local metal detectorist, who does not want to be named, saw the article on the Packet website and went to look for the ring on the beach - and found it! 

An emotional Lin told the Packet: "It's absolutely overwhelming. My mum is in absolute bits at the moment. 

"So many people from the community pulled together. It was amazing. For me, it's totally humbling. 

"We just want to thank everyone so much for what they have done."

Earlier Lin told the Packet that her parents had been together all their lives, but in the last year her mum's eyesight had deteriorated significantly.

"She has very limited mobility and I was helping her on the beach. It was more of a sensory experience because she really misses going in the sea.

"Unfortunately my dad has mild and increasing dementia. I said to my parents 'let's have a couple of hours on the beach and fill yourself with the smell of the sea'.

"Unfortunately it all went quite wrong, she took quite a tumble and panicked. Everybody was amazing so many people helped out which was great but she lost her ring in the process," said Lin. 

She explained that after the incident she returned to the beach and spent hours snorkelling the shallow waters of the beach in an attempt to find the missing ring, but to no avail. 

John and Julia on their wedding day

Lin continued: "She (Julia) is okay, her confidence is massively knocked but she is okay. A friend of mine from Culdrose happened to have been down to see my parents and he was brilliant at helping mum get up.

"I take my hat off to them they have been the best parents anyone could ever ask for."

She said she and her mum had "been in tears all night" after losing the ring - but now, happily, they have turned to tears of joy at being reunited with the treasured possession.