Incredible coincidence as lost wedding ring is found in Sheffield woods - two months after going missing

Andrew Bilsborrow was left heartbroken after losing his wedding ring while out riding his bike in the woods.
Andrew Bilsborrow with the wedding ring.Andrew Bilsborrow with the wedding ring.
Andrew Bilsborrow with the wedding ring.

But his sorrow would turn to joy thanks to an incredible quirk of fate.

Two months after the gut-wrenching loss, Andrew was retracing his footsteps through Hutcliffe Woods in Millhouses where the ring was lost when he struck up a conversation with a family walking in the opposite direction.

Charlotte and Andrew Bilsborrow with their daughter Imogen.Charlotte and Andrew Bilsborrow with their daughter Imogen.
Charlotte and Andrew Bilsborrow with their daughter Imogen.
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To his amazement, they told him that they had found a titanium ring buried under leaves just a few minutes earlier.

After cleaning off the dirt and trying it on - Andrew was astonished to discover that it was his!

The 36-year-old, of Bradway, said: "I like going out on my bike in that area and I just got chatting to them about cycling.

"They asked me 'I don't suppose you know anyone who has lost a ring, we have just found one', I couldn't believe it, it sounded too good to be true.

Charlotte and Andrew Bilsborrow with their daughter Imogen.Charlotte and Andrew Bilsborrow with their daughter Imogen.
Charlotte and Andrew Bilsborrow with their daughter Imogen.
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"I looked and it was mine. It was buried in a place where I must have gone past six or seven times but never saw it.

"It is an incredible coincidence. If I had walked past say 10 seconds earlier or later I would have probably missed them. I suppose it was right place, right time."

Andrew and his partner Charlotte were married at Whitley Hall Hotel in August 2013 and they went on to have a little girl, Imogen, aged one.

Andrew, an engineer, lost the ring while riding his bike in October and was reunited with it after bumping into the family on December 23.

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He said: "I was absolutely gutted when I lost the ring. You can replace them but it is obviously not the same. I was a little nervous about telling Charlotte but thankfully she was understanding about it!"

Charlotte, a 36-year-old teacher, was equally happy that the ring had been found.

She said: "We had hoped that he lost it somewhere in the house, but when we searched everywhere and couldn't find it we realised it must have dropped out of his pocket.

"I am glad we have it back as obviously it has a lot of personal value."

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Charlotte added that in all the excitement Andrew did not get the family's name so she put a message out on Facebook to thank them.

And in another unusual twist, a Hannah Elliott saw the message and posted: "It was us that found it! It was an amazing coincidence but we are so glad it has been returned to it's rightful owner."

A spokesperson for Ladbrokes bookmakers said the find was a 1 in 100, 000 chance, or the same odds as Her Majesty The Queen riding the winner of this year's Grand National race.

Jessica Bridge, of Ladbrokes, said: "The odds nearly broke our calculator. Given the location of where he lost his wedding ring in, you would have thought it would be gone forever but it's fantastic news he's been reunited with it."