A ring lost in the garden of a retirement development in Market Harborough has been returned to its owner over 1,500 miles away in Bulgaria with the help of FirstPort Development Manager Karen Walker.
The ring was discovered in March by the gardener at Pegasus Court, an independent-living Later Living development managed by FirstPort. It was found in some shrubbery in the garden, adjacent to a neighbouring property.
The ring was handed to Karen and efforts were made to trace the owner, including appeals at the monthly residents’ meeting.
Karen said: “The ring was quite dirty at first. But after cleaning it, we could tell it was valuable.”
When no one came forward, Karen said she remembered that the flat closest to where the ring was found had recently been vacated after the resident, Yvonne, had moved into a care home and sadly later passed away.
With only one contact for Yvonne’s friend and beneficiary, Claire Stephenson, Karen decided to reach out. To her surprise, Claire, who is from Market Harborough but lives in Bulgaria, perfectly described the ring and later shared a photo of Yvonne with the ring on.
At the time, Karen was planning a holiday. She explained: “I said to my husband, why don’t we go to Bulgaria?”
In June, Karen and her husband flew out and handed the ring to Claire in person at the airport. Karen said: “She was thrilled and very emotional. We even met again during our trip, and she came to say goodbye when we flew home.”
“We’re a close community here at Pegasus Court, and everyone is so happy the ring made it back to the right person,” Karen said.
The story brought the residents at Pegasus Court together, and they held a small celebration, swapping their usual sherry for a toast with Rakia, a traditional Bulgarian drink.
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