Island Echo always welcome letters to the editor, which may of course not reflect the views of the publication and its staff.
Letter to the editor – 8th October 2026
“Whilst on the last day of my holiday here, I went swimming at high tide in Freshwater Bay, and my small, irreplaceable gold wedding ring belonging to my nanna, slipped off into the cold water.
“Making it even more emotional, that day also happened to be my grandparents’ 60th wedding anniversary. She gave me the ring years ago and my nanna sadly passed away 2 months ago.
Article continues below this advertisement “I was completely devastated and assumed the ring was gone forever in the tide. Desperate for help, I reached out on Facebook on the IOW metal detector community, and Justin answered the call.
“Despite the difficult conditions at Freshwater Bay, Justin went down at low tide after a day at work with his metal detector, searched the area, and miraculously recovered the ring from the seabed!
“His kindness, dedication, and incredible skills deserve to be recognised and also does it free of charge!! I gave him some money which he said would be put towards helping others reunite with their lost items.
“This was an incredible example of the wonderful community spirit here on the Isle of Wight and something I will talk about for the rest of my life!”
Rosie Backhurst
