Essex paddleboarder reunited with Go-Pro lost in Cornwall

Nick Devenney, from Essex, was surprised when a stranger contacted him having found his lost Go-Pro

A paddleboarder was reunited with his Go-Pro six weeks after he lost it after a metal detectorist tracked him down.

Nick Devenney, from Essex, was on holiday in Cornwall when he lost the camera on 23 July.

He said he thought he would never see it again so was surprised when a stranger messaged him on Facebook.

Chris Osborne said he managed to trace Mr Devenney after uploading videos from the device and spotting a distinctive hooded top he was wearing.

Mr Osborne spotted Mr Devenney was wearing an East of England Paddlesports top in a video on the device

Mr Osborne, from St Teath in Cornwall, said he was metal detecting in Polzeath, where Mr Devenney had been holidaying, when he found the Go-Pro.

Keen to return the item to its owner, he bought a lead so he could upload the footage and see if there was any clue to whom it belonged to.

The 71-year-old, who has been metal detecting for 40 years, said he saw that Mr Devenney was wearing an East of England Paddlesports (EOEP) hoody, prompting him to look up the group on Facebook.

Mr Devenney said the Go-Pro still worked

Mr Devenney, from Brightlingsea, said it sent "shivers down my spine" when he received a message from Mr Osborne asking "have you recently lost a Go-Pro on a beach in Cornwall?"

He said he had been upset about losing the £350 camera because "there was a lot of video from the first few days of the holiday on there".

Mr Devenney said the fact Mr Osborne had found it and taken the effort to track him down "blew me away".

"It just goes to show we still do have a lot of good and genuine people in the world," said the sales account manager.

The 38-year-old said the camera, which is still working, arrived in time for another trip - but this time he will be taking some "safety measures" to ensure he does not lose it again.

Mr Osborne, who goes metal detecting at Polzeath two to three times a week, said he always feels happy when he is able to reunite lost items with their owners.