The hot spell we have all been enjoying has attracted many visitors to our stunning beaches, with Camber Sands being one of the most popular destinations. The coastguard and RNLI have been on hand in case of emergency, including rescuing children and re-uniting them with anxious parents.
Last week there was a return of a different kind which, due to an act of extreme kindness, had a very happy ending.
Mark ‘Ops’ Horton is a name you may not recognise. He’s an ex-Royal Navy gunner and ships diver who suffers from PTSD after being deployed around the world to wars and conflicts to help those affected by natural or “man-made” disasters. Ops loves to dive & scuba, and to metal detect both on land and underwater. It helps him to “zone out” and having taken early retirement he is now touring the UK and Europe with his wife, metal detecting along the way.
Returning those in disaster scenes was a role Ops was used to and when he learned about a couple who had recently visited Camber Sands, their request for help to find a missing wedding ring struck a chord. Even though the couple were complete strangers he didn’t hesitate to put his skills to good use, his instinct to help kicked in and he went above and beyond the call of duty.
Steve and Helen Skeet had spent a lovely day on the beach at Camber Sands but a relaxing family day on the beach turned into panic when Steve realised he had lost his wedding ring in the sands.
Helen explained what happened when they went for a swim. “Steve’s wedding ring is a little loose on him so he removed it and tucked it inside his trainers as he did not want it to come off in the water. He then forgot he had put it there. We were packing up and as he was putting his shoes on he emptied out some sand forgetting the ring was there. On the way back to the car he suddenly realised what he had done.”
After searching the beach at Camber, Helen left messages on local Facebook sites. “We did not expect to see the ring again but I thought it couldn’t do any harm. It got tagged from the Camber Sands page to the Lost on the Beach page, and then tagged in the National Ring Recovery page. This is where Ops saw it. His wife then messaged me asking for some location information on the beach. I was able to give them the pathway number and a point of reference.”
Ops travelled to Camber and, using his metal detector, found the ring. The good news hadn’t finished yet. Ops was travelling to Norfolk and on his way he kindly hand delivered the wedding ring to Steve and Helen, cleaned and beautifully presented in a ring box, at their home in Colchester.
Helen Skeet says the family will be eternally grateful for such an incredible act of kindness. “In the world we live in today things like this just restore your faith in humanity. He deserves all the recognition. He is such a generous, kind gentleman and we are so elated to have the ring back!”
Finding a needle in a haystack is possible if you know where to look and who to contact. Ops has made many interesting discoveries whilst metal detecting, and to find out more, follow his fascinating journey by going to @opshortonmetaldetecting.
Image Credits: Helen Skeet , Nick Forman , Ops Horton .
How wonderful to read a heart warming story. It is understandable that bad news receives so much attention, and there’s a lot of it. But, there are so many good people around us and we must continue to focus on them too. Well done ‘Ops’ and thanks Nick for reporting this lovely story.
Wow, what a beautiful story. I do believe there are more kind people in this world than not. Let’s all just keep paying it forward.
What a great story! How enormously kind going above and beyond just like his service to our country!
So pleased the ring was found and such a lovely heart warming story. Well done ‘Ops’ and it has bought a tear to my eye reading it! There are some lovely kind people about.
If I may add to that saga, I fell badly on a Rye pavement recently (blood all around from my hand and knee) and a passing maths teacher from Lancashire picked me up and delivered me to the Hub (which has a great First Aid box) in her sports car – and I never had teachers like that !
But I was so grateful and, as a former Editor of Rye News fighting multiple cancers since pre-Covid, I’m glad to see our town full of visitors as we can be so dependant on seasonal work – whether it is on the land, sea or in our houses.
And I’m also grateful to all those who have wished me well as I venture out – as at 81 I can recall faces, but names – oh dear – not so good. So thank you to a Rye visitor and also to those who live and/or work here.
The sun is, or has been, out and there are lots of ways around town that you can explore and discover how Rye has welcomed visitors and in-comers – so make the most of the summer –
and there’s even space on Camber Sands ! as I discovered “doing a walk” in recent days.
[PS As my Dad and Stepdad were both Donalds, I’m a “Charlie” despite my email address. I hate computers !]