Swimmer’s leg lost at sea found on beach by fossil hunter 10 months later

Disabled swimmer Brenda Ogden was stunned when a stranger found her missing prosthetic leg - 10 months after she lost it in the sea.

Lizzie Forbes, 38, was on a beach walk when she stumbled upon Brenda's £3,000 limb that had washed up in the surf.

The mum-of-two posted a photo of the titanium leg on social media and word got back to Brenda who identified it as hers.

The 69-year-old had lost the brand new custom-made limb last April while sea swimming off Bridlington, North Yorkshire.

She was hit by a big wave and the prosthetic was dislodged and swept away.

Brenda and her friends spent several days searching the shoreline in the hope it would wash up but had no joy.

A GoFundMe appeal to buy her a replacement swim leg was launched by members of the Flamborough Flippers swimming group.

Incredibly, they stated that 'if by some miracle' Brenda's leg was ever found they would donate the money raised to the RNLI.

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Sadly only £800 was raised and as a result Brenda hasn't been able to swim ever since.

Then on Monday Lizzie, a semi-professional fossil hunter, spotted the prosthetic among rocks beneath the cliffs at Atwick, 12 miles south of Bridlington.

Lizzie said: "I was out walking and saw this object among the clay boulders. I thought to myself 'that looks like a leg' and then when I realised it was I thought 'oh my god, where's the rest of the person!'

"I took a photo of it because it was the most bizarre thing I had ever found and shared it on social media.

"A couple of people then got in touch saying they thought they knew whose leg it was."

Lizzie initially left the leg where she found it but later rushed back to the beach at low tide to recover it.

A friend of Brenda has since collected the prosthetic and is cleaning and repairing it before it can be returned to her.

Brenda, a retired nurse, said: "I am amazed it has turned up after all that time in the sea. What are the chances of it turning up?

"From the photos I have seen it looks OK so hopefully I will be able to swim with it soon. I am still a member of the swimming club but have been grounded since I lost my leg."

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Brenda, from Bridlington, had her left leg amputated below the knee after she was involved in a bad car accident in 2021.

She has a daily walking leg and a running blade and had the waterproof leg especially made so she could go in the sea.

It enabled her to walk into the sea before taking it off and handing it to a friend while she swam.

Brenda said: "It was brand new and it was the first time I had used it when I lost it.

"A wave just caught me from behind and took it away.

"I was upset because I thought that was my last chance to go swimming. I couldn't afford to buy another one.

"I haven't been able to go into the water since then.

"Then this week I got a text from a friend who sent me a photo of my leg and recognised it straight away."

Lizzie said: "I am made up and so pleased for Brenda. We have spoken on Facebook Messenger but I am really looking forward to meeting her so I can see the face that matches the leg."