KENDAL and District Metal Detecting Club has just celebrated 20 years of detecting.

The club was formed when a group of like-minded enthusiasts got together to pursue their hobby in 1993 – and its membership continues to grow.

Founders Ivan Trimingham and Angela Broomby are still encouraging more people to join.

The use of metal detectors was first recorded in 1958 and since then there have been some fantastic finds throughout the UK, including in Cumbria.

The Crosby Garrett helmet, named after the village near which it was found, was discovered in May 2010 in the hamlet near Kirkby Stephen, by use of metal detector.

And only last year a roman bracelet dating back to the 2nd or 3rd century AD was found by in Dalton.

Participants in the club have made a vast number of finds, many of which are of historical importance.

Two notable ones include the find made by Peter Adams and George Robinson in north Cumbria, at the site of six Viking burials – the first such burial ground in England – and the discovery of what is described as the ‘third most important Viking silver hoard found in the UK’ made by Darren Webster on the border between Cumbria and Lancashire.

The group now meets at 7.45pm on the last Thursday of the month at the Cross Keys Hotel, Milnthorpe.