Violet
2
A metal detectorist who is in recovery from drink and drug addiction says his hobby "saved him".
Karl Monks, 40, from Wotton-under-Edge in Gloucestershire, believes metal detecting is the "best hobby in the world" for ex-addicts who want to turn their lives around.
"I am clean and this has definitely saved me from going to the pub, or getting some drugs, many times,” he told BBC Radio Gloucestershire.
He started detecting nearly three years ago and has since established the Cotswold Metal Detecting Community (CMDC) which has more than 130 members.
