Metal Detecting Club Donates More Than £1,200 To Mountbatten

A long-running Isle of Wight metal detecting club has donated more than £1,200 to Mountbatten Isle of Wight following more than two years of fundraising.

Members of the Vectis Searchers Metal Detecting Club recently visited the hospice to present a cheque for £1,205, raised through regular club meetings in Newport and organised detecting days across the Island.

The club, which has around 40 members, has supported Mountbatten since it was formed in 1985.

Members pay £5 to take part in each detecting session, with the money usually given to the landowner.

If a landowner chooses not to accept the payment, the money is instead donated to Mountbatten.

Club treasurer John Flynn said:

"Metal detecting is a thrill. It could be a ring pull or it could be something special.

"We've welcomed many new members since the popularity of McKenzie Crook's The Detectorists.

"Most importantly, we always declare our finds."

All discoveries are recorded through the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme, with significant finds potentially declared treasure by the Isle of Wight Coroner.

Among the club's most notable discoveries is a 5,000-year-old Bronze Age penannular ring, found by member Mark Smedmor, known as "The Goldfinder".

John added:

"The obvious choice for the Vectis Searchers Metal Detecting Club has always been to raise money for Mountbatten Isle of Wight.

"Over the years, club members' loved-ones have been cared for by Mountbatten, both on its inpatient unit and in the community."

The club is now appealing for more landowners to offer fields and land for future detecting events, particularly those willing to donate the search fee to support Mountbatten's work.

Mountbatten Isle of Wight provides end-of-life and bereavement care across the Island, with around 80 per cent of its support delivered in people's own homes.