A METAL detecting enthusiast helped find a 100-year-old family heirloom that had been lost by his dad five years ago.

Alan Webster, 51, of Dunbar, found the ring on Gullane Golf Club’s practice area last Wednesday.

The 18-carat solid gold band originally belonged to his great-grandmother Margaret Mckean, who was born in the late 19th century and married in the 1920s.

Margaret, who lived in Joppa, died from cancer in 1947 and the ring became a treasured piece of family history.

The ring currently belongs to Alan’s dad, 73-year-old Graeme, of North Berwick.

Graeme had worn the ring since his marriage in 1967 but lost it while hitting a few shots at Gullane Golf Club’s practice ground about five years ago.

Alan said that his dad had been wearing a golf glove and the ring must have been dislodged when he removed the glove.

Graeme only realised the ring was missing when he got home. And although he returned to the golf course to look for it, he could not find it.

Alan said that his dad had been resigned to never seeing the ring again.

Graeme was a keen metal detector in the 1980s, a hobby Alan took up only recently.

He helped set up East Lothian Metal Detecting Club 18 months ago with two work colleagues and friends, one of whom – Dean Houston – helped a newly married couple find their lost wedding ring on Tyninghame beach, a story reported in the Courier last July (see right).

Asked why he started looking for his dad’s ring after all this time, Alan said: “There has been no mention of it until the end of last year, when it came up in conversation.

“Even when the article came out about the ring being found on Tyninghame, I never thought to look for my dad’s one.”

Alan sought permission from Gullane Golf Club to search the practice ground with his metal detector.

And when they did so last week, Alan and his dad found the ring after just 20 minutes of hunting.

The ring had been embedded 1.5 inches into the ground – Alan believed his dad might have accidentally stood on it when he lost it initially.

Alan told the Courier: “My mum wasn’t happy that he lost it but when I found it my dad was absolutely gobsmacked.

“I can’t describe his face but he was amazed. I’ve never seen him look so gobsmacked.

“My mum is also delighted, probably more delighted, as it is her family’s ring.

“My dad thought there was a billion in one chance that we would find it.

“He’s very lucky and it’s a nice ending to the story.”

Gordon Simpson, secretary at Gullane Golf Club, said: “We are delighted the ring was found on the practice ground and reunited with its owner. It was quite a find – good for him!”