As a professional dog walker, Sam Barry is used to kneeling down to pick up ‘unexpected packages’ when she’s out and about in Guernsey.
But this weekend, a decade of dog walking knowledge helped Ms Barry scoop her half of a much more pleasant surprise – £40 in cash.
Ms Barry claimed the money – which had been hidden as part of a new treasure hunt – after recognising its location from a video posted on social media.
“I was at my sister’s house having a coffee and my niece goes: ‘Oh my god, they just dropped some money.'”
Ms Barry told Express she’d “never heard of this Cash Drop thing, but I knew exactly where it was, because I walk there nearly every day”.
Ms Barry want straight up to an old hut, near the shooting range at L’Ancresse, where she ran into her friend’s daughter, Chloe Queripel, who was also looking for the money.
The pair agreed to split the money if they could find it, and a few minutes later Ms Queripel discovered £40 hidden under a pebble in the hut’s wall – just nine minutes after the video was posted.
“It was brilliant,” Ms Barry said, “I love a treasure hunt.”
‘What more could you want?’
The money had been left by Cash Drop Guernsey, a new group which started two weeks ago with a treasure hunt at Port Soif.
The organisers explained that local businesses sponsor the drops, which are free to enter.
A spokesperson told Express: “We started the drops to make a difference to our community – to put a smile on someone’s face.
“We are all feeling the pinch with inflation, giving something back can really help someone.”
They said they’d seen the idea on YouTube and thought: “Why not give it a go?”
The organisers – who want to remain anonymous – said they expected to arrange more drops – and increase the value of the prizes – as more firms sign up to sponsor.
Ms Barry said she “just loves the idea because it’s going to get people out and about”.
“A bit of fun treasure hunting, what more could you want?”