Thanks to a chance encounter in a field near Hay, local metal detectorist Mike Tunley was able to reunite Bea Pearson with her long lost, precious ring that had spent 20 years on her finger.

Several months ago, Bea had lost the ring in the field below the main car park in Hay-on-Wye, so when her husband Nicholas came across Mike metal detecting there, he knew he had to take the chance.

The chance encounter lead to an amazing moment where Mike found the ring, allowing Nicholas to take it back home to show how wife.

“He’s literally a guy I met in a field,” said Nicholas, describing the story. “It was a chance encounter in the field, I was walking our dogs and saw this guy in the field and thought I don’t want to interrupt what he’s doing, but then I thought ‘you know what, no, if it’s a good opportunity to find it (the ring), let’s go for it’ and even he said it was a big expanse and it would be really hard to find and then we had a nice little moment where we found it and I was left stood there grinning like a Cheshire Cat.”

The ring had been out there for six months and following hours of searches by their friends and family Nick and Bea were still unable to find it until Mike appeared.

“I had spent hours out in that field and even borrowed a metal detector from a local pub landlord whose brother is a metal detectorist and they lent me some gear and I was out there for hours and couldn’t find it,” said Nick. “I just needed the expertise I think!”

The Hay-based couple own Origin Pizza, and are ecstatic with Mike’s latest find. The couple took to Facebook to thank Mike. In a post that gained hundreds of likes and several comments, the couple said: “A few months ago, my wife lost her ring in the field below the main car park. After more than 20 years on her finger, it meant the world to her, and despite hours of searching by friends and colleagues, we had no luck. Until today.

“A chance encounter while walking the dogs led us to local legend Mike Tunley, whose metal detecting skills turned out to be exactly what we needed… and just like that, the ring is back where it belongs. We honestly can’t thank you enough, Mike. An absolute hero! Sometimes a bit of luck (and the right person) makes all the difference.”

Nicholas added: “I knew how much it would make my wife happy, and I even underestimated that because when I got home she got quite emotional because I think she had given up on it, so it was really, really good.

“We’re super relieved and thankful to Mike. It was one of those things that was really bugging me because you know it’s out there and we just wanted to find it.”