A METAL detector saved the day after a newly slim mum almost lost her wedding rings forever.
Bernie Charnley of Eden Mount, Ulverston, had every reason to celebrate over Christmas after managing to lose almost five stone in eight months.
During a catch-up with a friend last Friday night, the 36-year-old commented that she needed to get her wedding ring and engagement ring re-sized after her dramatic weight loss.
As her friend's lift home approached, Mrs Charnley stepped into her street to help guide the car along the dark and unfamiliar road. But, as she beckoned it in the right direction, both her rings flew off her now-slender fingers.
She said: "I was absolutely devastated, I thought they had gone down a drain."
Mrs Charnley lost both her white gold wedding ring, and her diamond solitaire engagement ring. Although she searched for an hour outside with her husband, there was no sign of the rings.
It was a bitter irony for Mrs Charnley to lose something so special after working for months to lose weight.
After the birth of her child in February, she set a goal to live a healthier life, and signed up to a local Slimming World group.
With the help of her friend and Slimming World coach, Claire Wood, Mrs Charnley managed to lose 4st 9lb, going from a size 20 to a 12 just in time for Christmas.
After posting her story on a local Facebook group, she was inundated with people offering to help her. Strangers came to her street with torches to search the pavement and gutters.
She said: "It was just a shot in the dark that night, just in case someone could help."
The next day, Christmas Eve, Mrs Charnley was contacted by a good Samaritan from Lindal who offered her the use of his metal detector.
She said: "He showed me how to use it and change the sensitivity so it could find gold. Within about five minutes, we found them."
She found the rings in soil next to a neighbour's garden.
After being reunited with her rings, Mrs Charnley has set herself a very specific goal for 2017.
She said: "It is my New Year's resolution to get it re-sized. I said to Claire, 'this is all your fault.'"
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