Grandmother married for nearly 60 years loses wedding ring in Rustington

Gillian Woodard, of Meadway, Rustington, was walking in Mewsbrook Park with her husband Anthony on Sunday (March 4), as she has done regularly since being diagnosed with cardiomyopathy.

The 81-year-old removed her glove to blow her nose near the park entrance alongside the leisure centre and believes it was at this moment that the ring slipped off her finger.

Her daughter, Kate Woodard, said her mother was ‘devastated’ at the loss but ‘really grateful’ for the response from the community.

Residents and staff at the cafe have come forward to search the park, even using a metal detector to look for the ring, and people have sent kind messages to the family after a post about the incident was shared hundreds of times on Facebook.

Kate said: “She’s really overwhelmed by how kind everyone has been.

“She’s a very kind lady herself.

“The whole community has been lovely.

“It’s a really nice thing to know there are all these good people out there.”

The ring is described as old and ‘orangey gold’ in colour, with dimpled marks still visible as it originally had a flower pattern engraved on it.

Anyone who finds the ring is urged to hand it in to police.