Why I . . . go metal detecting

Slowly and carefully, consultant psychiatrist Beth Chapman walks through the fields thinking about the people who have walked the paths before her and wondering about their lives.Suddenly she hears the tell-tale beep of her metal detector and feels the familiar rush that comes from knowing there is a chance she’s struck gold.Instead, the earth reveals an old naval button. Chapman stores it at home in a special set of drawers along with other buttons, buckles, and coins. She treasures her finds, no matter how small. “It gives me a little burst of joy to hold an old coin, look at it under a magnifying glass, and wonder who held it before me,” she says.Chapman, who works at Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, is quick to dispel any stereotypes about her favourite pastime. “Metal detecting might appear to be nerdy and boring, but actually it’s brilliant,” she says. “It gets you…
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