EVERYTHING is coming up roses for a woman who found her wedding ring in a flower bed – 20 years after it went missing.

Ann Westland, 55, of Sunderland, was distraught when she lost the ring while digging out her back garden in 1997.

The garden was searched over and over again and Mrs Westland even borrowed a metal detector from a friend, but the ring was never found.

That is until her husband, Ian, 59, spotted the gold ring among some snowdrop bulbs while he was gardening in September 20 years after it had slipped off his wife's finger.

Mrs Westland said: "It wasn't actually buried or under the soil, it was just there on top of the flowerbed, a few yards away from where I had lost it all those years ago.

"Ian brought it in, cleaned it up and told me there was a surprise waiting for me.

"He left it by the side of my bed, which is where I keep my rings.

"I could not believe my eyes when I saw it again after so long.

"It is quite big on my finger but it still fits."

Ian and Ann married in 1984 after meeting in a Sunderland pub four years earlier, and have a daughter, 21-year-old Gemma.

The green-fingered couple, who are both directors at insurance firm Elliott

Westland, take a great deal of pride in tending to their garden and Mrs Westland had been digging around a tree in 1997 when the ring slipped off her finger.

Mrs Westland added: "It was a freezing day and I was just getting rid of some weeds.

"When I came in to wash my hands - they were absolutely filthy - I realised the ring had gone.

"I was shocked and a bit panicked, but then I sort of thought it wasn't too bad as the ring must just still be in the garden where I had been digging.

"So we searched the garden and the two big black bin liners that were full of weeds.

"But we couldn't find it.

"The next day at work I asked a friend if I could borrow her metal detector and then went through the soil and the bags of weeds again with that, but there was still no sign of the ring.

"Every year when we change the bedding plants I would be convinced I would find it but I never, ever did.

"Soon I'd lost hope of ever seeing it again and a couple of years after I had lost it we went and bought another wedding ring.

"It was very similar but a bit smaller to make sure it wouldn't fall off."

Despite working in the insurance business, Mrs Westland never thought to make a claim after the ring had gone missing.

She said: "It never crossed my mind.

"I couldn't even tell you how much it was worth, it was just about the sentimental value really.

"I am just so happy to get it back."

Mrs Westland had yet another scare with the ring when she was tending to her retired racehorse, Rodney.

She said: "I nearly lost it again shortly after we found it; it had just come off when I was with the horse on another freezing cold day but I did find it again.

"I would not have dared come home without it, after everything that's happened.

"We are going to get it made smaller or it's never going to be worn without my engagement ring on so it can't fall off any more.

"I'm not taking any chances."