Lego spaceman makes message in bottle sea voyage

The bottle had travelled some 146 miles from Guernsey to the Isles of Scilly

A family said they "could not believe" a bottle they dropped in the sea containing a Lego spaceman, drawings and a letter was found on an island nearly 150 miles (240km) away.

The bottle was thrown into the sea in Guernsey by six-year-old Leo and was found 40 days later by a family who were beachcombing on St Mary's in the Isles of Scilly.

Matt, Rhiannon and daughters Chloe and Eliza found the bottle and called a phone number contained inside it - putting them in touch with Laurent, Leo's father.

Laurent said he "genuinely could not believe it" when he got the call, adding "it was a really nice phone call to receive".

Laurent said it was "a really fun way to get in touch with people in a physical way"

Laurent said Leo and his sister Célene had the idea to pack two jars with messages, drawings and small toys on the morning of Saturday 29 March.

"We stuffed them and taped them up nice and tight and we went to the lighthouse in St Peter Port and tossed them into the sea," he said.

"We never expected to hear any news soon, that's for sure."

He said the children were "so happy" when he told them Leo's bottle had been found.

"It was so unexpected," he said, adding that the family tracked the route the bottle had taken on a map.

Matt said he, Chloe, 13, and Eliza, seven, had been exploring Darrity's Hole on St Mary's coastline on 8 May when he had spotted a jar covered in seaweed.

"At first I thought it had old paint in it or something like that but then I noticed the paper inside and I could see a little Lego man in there," he said.

He said the jar had stayed watertight so the letters and Laurent's phone number were legible.

"When we made the phone call to them they really couldn't believe it," he added. "We explained and they were in complete shock."

'Absolutely amazing'

After the initial call, the two families met during a video call.

"If you could bottle the look on all the children's faces here and over there, honestly, it'd sell," Matt said.

He said the Isles of Scilly had sustained easterly winds which he thought had swept the bottle along, since Guernsey was 146 miles (235km) direct east of the Isles of Scilly.

He said his daughters thought it was "absolutely amazing".

He added: "We've talked about things that get washed up all the time growing up on an island but then for something like that to come true... they were so excited."

Laurent agreed and said: "It's so much fun, it's very wholesome and a really fun way to get in touch with people in a physical way."