Message in a bottle travels 150 miles across the sea to Scilly family

A FAMILY say they were stunned to find a message in a bottle that had travelled 150 miles across the ocean.

- by LAUREN BEAVIS AND SHANNON BROWN

Matt Thompson, 44, said his family were overjoyed when they discovered the glass jar containing a letter, drawings and a Lego figure.

It had originated from the Channel Islands and made its way 150 miles across the Atlantic to the Isles of Scilly.

The family took the bottle home, called the number inside and discovered it had been thrown into the sea 40 days earlier by a family from Guernsey.

Father of two Matt said: “It’s a truly lovely story.

“Even for someone my age, to find something like that is magical.”

Matt and daughters Chloe, 13, and Eliza, seven, who live on St Mary's, were out beachcombing and walking their dog Kyla when Matt decided to climb down into a rocky cove known as Darrity’s Hole.

“We like to have a look to see what washes up,” he said. “There had been strong winds and things always get brought over to the island.