A 96-year-old nun has been reunited with a treasured ring she lost 60 years ago after it was discovered by a metal detectorist.

Ronald Stevens, from Deal, stumbled across the gold jewel while searching with his machine in fields next to Minster Abbey, near Ramsgate.

It belongs to Sister John Baptist, who was given it when she joined the order of nuns at Minster in 1950.

The ring symbolises her being joined to Christ.

She lost it in 1963 or 1964 while she was plucking chickens and depositing the feathers in a hay field.

Mr Stevens found the ring on August 24, noticed it was inscribed “Jesus, John Baptist” and casually mentioned this to another nun.

As they spoke it was revealed who the owner was.

The ring, still in mint condition, was immediately given back.

A week later, last Friday, Mr Stevens went to visit the Abbey and meet Sister John Baptist, of the Benedictine Nuns.

He said: “I spent a very enjoyable hour with all the Sisters and especially Sister John who couldn’t stop looking at the ring and telling me what it meant to her.

“I took time to show them all the metal detector and explain how it worked.”

Mr Stevens, 64, works as a retail assistant and started his hobby as a metal detectorist three years ago.

He summed up: “This is one reason why this hobby is so rewarding.

“This is my first gold find; I’m not sure how I can top this.”

Sister John Baptist and her fellow nuns live in a monastery at the Abbey.

Mother Nicola, the Prioress Superior, told KentOnline: “It has been extraordinary and not anything we could have dreamed of.

“When the ring was found Sister John was delighted. Its loss at the time was a great blow to her.”

KentOnline previously reported how another metal detectorist has also helped reunite people with their lost sentimental jewellery.

Brendan Sansom, from Saltwood near Hythe, spends his weekends scouring the sands searching for precious items people have reported missing on social media.

Including in his finds was a ring given to a man by his grandmother that he had lost while paddleboarding nine months before.