Armband reunited with family after 35 years lost at sea

Darren de Jersey lost an inflatable armband when he was around five years old on one of his numerous trips to the sea with his family and thought he would never see it again.

Now 40, he was proved wrong last month when Damien Albin dredged it from the bottom of St Peter Port harbour on a fishing boat, spotting the fluorescent orange armband with Darren's name written across it.

Mr de Jersey’s mum, Suzanne Lucas, was notified of the discovery through her daughter-in-law’s sister’s boyfriend, who Mr Albin had notified, and was amazed when she saw the picture while on holiday.

‘Shaun knows the family so he got in contact to see if it was ours.

'I only had to take one look to know it was my handwriting. What an amazing marker pen that must be,’ said Mrs Lucas.

‘I’m not entirely sure where we lost it but I think it must have been at L’Eree, that was pretty much the only beach we’d go to as I lived just across the road. It must have been taken by the tide.’

Upon retrieving the armband, Mr Albin found it was still working when he was able to blow it up from the valve.

Mrs Lucas said she wanted to frame it and give it to her son as a present but he had declined the offer.

She added that while it was an interesting discovery, there was a sadder undertone to the find.

‘It just shows how plastic can stay around,’ she said.