A PENSIONER has been left devastated after jewellery belonging to her late father and late husband was stolen.

Ann Oakley has told how the highly sentimental items were stolen as she moved house from Saltdean to Peacehaven.

The 73-year-old did not have photos of the jewellery to share with police and instead had to draw pictures of the items in the hope that someone might recognise them.

Mrs Oakley is now offering a reward and hopes it will encourage people to come forward over the incident. She has not said what the reward is.

Police believe the box of jewellery was stolen either from her new home or her car as it was being unloaded between March 2 and 6.

The jewellery includes a gold signet ring initialled APW, a rose gold medallion engraved with details of a 1932 cycling event, a green enamel frog brooch, a nine carat gold fish-shaped charm and a heart-shaped brooch with a gold fastener on a nine carat gold chain.

She said: “When I realised the box was gone I was devastated.

“There are lots of versions of the kinds of things that were in the box.

“And to anyone else they are just a bit of jewellery but to me they are special.”

The signet ring and cycling medal belonged to Ms Oakley’s father and were passed on to her when he died.

She said: “When my father died my mother gave me his signet ring with his initials on it, which were the same as mine before I was married.

“I had it made smaller and wore it on my little finger.

“It was my dad’s ring.

“Before he was married he was a racing cyclist.

“He won a race and was given this beautiful little medallion with his name and his time on it.

“These things are irreplaceable.”

Also in the box were all her mementos of her late husband Ken, who died two and a half years ago.

They are items he had bought her as the pair travelled together.

Ms Oakley said: “Almost everything he bought me over the 30 years we were married was in that box – all that precious treasure.

“When my husband and I went on holiday he would give a gift and they were all in that box.

“There was a diamond ring in there, which was probably worth something, but to anyone else it is just a bit of jewellery, to me they are memories.”

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to email 101@sussex.pnn.police.uk or call 101 quoting 354.