While visiting Shell Beach with family, Charlie Andrews realised the ring she wore, a cherished keepsake from her late great-uncle, had slipped from her finger during a paddle in the shallows.
‘We tried to find it,’ Miss Andrews said, ‘but I really thought it was gone forever.’
Her godmother Claire posted an appeal on Facebook, which caught the attention of Mr Le Page, an experienced metal detectorist and founder of Guernsey Heritage Keepers.
With permission secured to search Herm’s historically sensitive land, Shane timed his mission to last Sunday’s low tide and set off across the island.
Arriving on Herm at 2.40pm, he made his way to Shell Beach and began scanning the area using an image marking the ring’s suspected location.
‘After my initial search came up empty, I switched detectors and got into the water,’ Mr Le Page said.
‘With swell rising and the tide coming in, he waded chest deep, battling shifting sand and strong currents.
‘It was make or break, another day and it could’ve been lost for good.’
At last, his detector gave a promising signal six to seven metres from shore.
Five minutes of careful digging later, the ring emerged on top of a spadeful of wet sand.
‘I was so relieved. I knew how much it meant to her.’
Miss Andrews, who visits the island every summer, was stunned.
‘I was in complete disbelief,’ she said.
‘He did it free of charge, just out of kindness. That level of generosity blew me away.’
Mr Le Page has been metal detecting since 2005. ‘For me, the real reward is seeing someone’s emotions when you return what seemed lost,’ he said.
‘It’s about preserving heritage and brightening someone’s day.’
You need to be logged in to comment. If you had an account on our previous site, you can migrate your old account and comment profile to this site by visiting this page and entering the email address for your old account. We'll then send you an email with a link to follow to complete the process.