MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE
GERMAN FAMILY FINDS BOTTLE WASHED UP IN DENMARK
A Sunderland school pupil’s message in a bottle which she threw into the sea has journeyed more than 1,000 miles away to the Scandinavian coast.
Kenya Smart, who goes to Hudson Road Primary in Hendon, wrote her name, age and where she was from on small pieces of paper before putting them in bottles and leaving them in the North Sea several months ago.
Having no idea whether or not they would be found by anyone, to her and her classmates’ and teachers’ shock, the school started to receive postcards from German tourists.
Families who had been holidaying in Denmark in the Verderso Klit camping resort, on the west coast and Lokken, which is in the north of the country, had found the messages and got in touch.
Kenya’s teacher at Hudson Road, Chloe Cameron, who takes the mixed Year Three and Four class which Kenya is part of, told the Echo: “We’d been doing a lot of classes about the world, and Europe and we’d even been down to Seaham Beach not long before.
“Kenya went with her granddad on a trip to the beach and that’s when she put the 16 bottles in the ocean.
“We got the first message back saying it had been found in Lokken and then another two got in touch.
“One also emailed as well.”
Since getting the replies, the class have been learning more about the Scandinavian country and its history.
“The class have really enjoyed finding out more about Denmark, where it is and what it’s like,” added Ms Cameron.
“They’ve all worked very hard on the project.”
One family said it was a “nice surprise” for them to find one of the bottles as they strolled on a beach during their holidays.
Headteacher Cathy Westgate said: “We’re really delighted at how kind these people have been in sending postcards back to Kenya and the school.
“It’s just so nice of them to take the time to contact us.
“It’s made us all really happy and made for a great school project which we’re really proud of.”
“We got the first message back saying it had been found in Lokken” CHLOE CAMERON