Detectorist finds ring woman inherited from dad in Ipswich sandpit

Mel Hieatt said she burst into tears on hearing Garry Simmonds had found the gold ring

A woman who lost her late father's ring in a sandpit said she was "astounded" when a metal detectorist found it.

Mel Hieatt, 49, noticed the item was missing at Chantry Park, Ipswich, at about 15:00 BST on Wednesday.

"Parents, children and three boys from the high school helped me search for more than two hours," she said.

Mrs Hieatt said "we were all just shouting and jumping up and down" when a metal detectorist found the signet ring four hours after the search began.

After four hours of searching, Mrs Hieatt said she was "sitting forlornly in a heap" when she heard a shout and rushed over to the sandpit

The nanny, who was looking after two children at the time, said she inherited the gold ring when her father died in March.

She noticed the ring was no longer on her finger as she took the children back to the car.

"I felt physically sick, it's the worst feeling," she said.

"We hot-footed it back to the sandpit and searched for half an hour before taking the children home."

The children's parents insisted on returning to the park with her to resume the search, Mrs Hieatt said.

"Three boys from Chantry High School also joined in the hunt and then one of the parents suggested we appeal on social media for detectorists to help," she said.

Mr Simmonds' son Jack, seven, also helped in the search with his mini detector

Poppy Hayhoe, 26, from Manningtree, Essex, read the appeal "and decided to try to help", having taken up metal detecting six weeks earlier.

The health and safety consultant said: "I found two little lads there all digging holes and then yes, I found a ring - but it was a silver Pandora ring."

Charity community outreach officer Garry Simmonds, from Holbrook, came down shortly afterwards with his son Jack, seven, and helped search the sandpit, which he said was the size of a tennis court.

"I felt a bit bad because Poppy had been there an hour before me and I turned up and stole all the glory," he said.

"It was just my second little signal, I saw a little bit of gold in very dry sand and there it was, bang, straight away."

Mrs Hieatt, who is from Colchester, said: "It was a miracle, I was astounded they found it and I promptly burst into tears.

"Suddenly there was lots of grown-up people shouting and jumping up and down in a sand pit at eight o'clock at night."

To thank the detectorists, she said she would make a donation to The Rural Coffee Caravan, where Mr Simmonds, 42, works, and Mind, the mental health charity her father supported.