A message in a bottle dropped into the sea by a bored British girl has just been discovered over 1,000 miles away—on a beach in NORWAY.
Little Lilly Carter, 10, decided to try sending a message in a bottle across the sea while fed-up in lockdown back in July 2020.
Slipping her handwritten note inside a glass bottle, she threw her message into the sea at Chapel St Leonards beach during her family’s staycation in Lincolnshire.
Lilly’s bottle set off on a journey and has now been discovered approximately 1,033 miles away on a beach in Kragerø, Norway.
Lilly’s note reads: “Dear whoever you are—please, if you find this, please post online. I’m from Long Eaton, 10 years old, and my name is Lilly Carter.”
It was Ida Hødnebø, 36, and her son Tallak, 7, who found Lilly’s bottle washed up on the shore and immediately began a quest to track down the little writer.
Ida, a social worker, said: “I was on a trip to Jomfruland with my family and some friends.
“We picked garbage. I found the bottle and my first thought was that it was a letter in the bottle, but I looked at it and it was paper towels and a little bit dirty.
“This was because there was sand in the bottle. I thought it was bottle mail, so we opened it. The kids weren’t so bothered when we found it, but us adults were super excited!”
Ida shared the note on Facebook and after multiple people shared her post, it appeared on Harald Christiansen’s newsfeed.
Despite not knowing Ida or her family, helpful Harald, 40, turned detective and tracked down a Facebook group for Long Eaton residents.
Sharing Ida’s photo of the note in the group, Harald wrote: “A few days ago a message in a bottle was found on a rocky beach outside the city of Kragerø, Norway.
“Kragerø is about 2.5 hours drive south of Oslo, hidden behind many small islands. It was sent sometime in July 2020 and it is signed by 10-year-old Lilly Carter (?) from Long Eaton.
“Does anyone here might know Lilly, and can help me connect her with the person that found this message?”
Incredibly, Lilly’s mom, Claire Pentecost, 38, was already a member of the local community group and quickly responded to Harald’s post.
Ida and Claire’s families are now in touch and Claire hopes a friendship could spark between the children, all thanks to a sturdy little bottle that braved the choppy sea.
Claire said: “We are super excited and amazed that the bottle made it to Norway!
“We were away for the weekend and decided on the last day of our staycation to send a message in a bottle.
“Lockdown was open to travel but no amusements were open so we did some classic activities instead and the girls came up with doing a message in a bottle.
“We got the bottles from our breakfast out at the North Sea Observatory and then sent the bottles from Chapel St Leonards beach, and it went from there!”
Both Lilly and her big sister Chloe, 11, sent messages out into the sea. Chloe’s bottle has yet to be found.
Claire adds: “We are surprised that the lid stayed on and didn’t let any water in and sink to the bottom of the sea, or the fact it didn’t break on the rocks.
“The best bit was the little boy finding it and his family and friends finding us on social media—it only took two days for them to find us!
“Maybe the boy and Lilly will be friends one day!”
Ida added: “It only took two days for us to find Claire. It was very exciting!”
Happy to have helped, Harald, a project manager, said: “I am a big fan of technology, and all the things we can use it for. My friends and co-workers say that I should have a PhD in finding stuff—and now people—on the internet!
“For me, to spend 10 to 15 minutes of my day to make an 11-year-old girl, her mom and what seems to be an entire city, happy is time well spent.
“More people should do that—help with what seems to be small things but in the end do lots for other people.”
