A Scottish schoolgirl's message in a bottle has finally received a reply more than 30 years later - after being discovered in Norway. Alaina Beresford, from Portknockie in Moray, sent the message in 1994 when she was 12 as part of a school project. It washed up across the North Sea where it was found by a volunteer cleaning up a Norwegian island - who then dispatched a postcard to the delighted sender to let her know. Alaina told BBC Scotland News she could not believe her original letter was in such good condition after three decades. Her handwritten letter had been sent in an empty bottle of Moray Cup, afizzy drinkproduced in the north east of Scotland. It said: "Dear finder. My name is Alaina Stephen and I am 12 years of age. I come from Portknockie and I am doing a project on water so I decided to send a message in a bottle. "My teacher's husband took them and dropped them in the middle of the ocean. "When you find this message, please write back with your name, hobbies, where you found the message, when, and if you could, a little information about your area. Yours sincerely, Alaina Stephen. PS I come from Scotland." Now, 31 years on, Alaina has received a postcard from Pia Brodtmann, telling her the good news, with pictures of the find. It said: "My name is Pia and I am from Germany. Today I found your message in a bottle on Lisshelløya, a tiny island around Vega in Norway. "I am here for beach cleaning as a volunteer for four months and today we cleaned Lisshelløya. On the front of the postcard you can see our workboat Nemo and our sailboat Fonn, where we live. You can also see the area around Vega. I wonder when and where your teacher's husband threw your bottle in the ocean?" It added: "PS I am 27 years old and I like rock climbing and sailing a lot!" Alaina, now 42, said she as stunned when she picked up the post and noticed the postcard addressed to herself. "I'm at the same address," she said. "I did live in Buckie, and another house in Portknockie for a while, but moved back in with my parents. "I couldn't believe it, as I had sent it when I was 12 years old, 31 years ago." Alaina was able to find Pia via social media, and messaged her asking to send a photo of her letter. "I was shocked when she did, I couldn't believe how legible it was," she said. "I can't remember actually writing the message, but I do remember it was a Moray Cup bottle, and that my teacher's husband had dropped it into the sea when he was a fisherman. "According to my message, I had done it as part of a project on water. It was when I was in P7." She added: "Pia and I have been keeping in touch and hopefully we will continue to do so."
Girl's message in a bottle gets reply 31 years later
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"Scottish Girl Receives Response to Message in a Bottle After 31 Years"
Bbc News
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TruthLens AI Summary
In a remarkable turn of events, a message in a bottle sent by Alaina Beresford, a schoolgirl from Portknockie, Scotland, has been discovered and responded to after 31 years. The message, which Alaina wrote at the age of 12 in 1994 as part of a school project on water, was found on a small island in Norway by a volunteer named Pia Brodtmann. Pia was participating in a beach cleanup when she stumbled upon the bottle, which contained Alaina's handwritten letter asking the finder to respond with their name, hobbies, and information about their area. The letter had remarkably survived three decades in the ocean, a testament to its durability and the care with which it was preserved inside the bottle that originally contained a local drink, Moray Cup.
Upon receiving the postcard from Pia, Alaina expressed her astonishment at the discovery, especially since she had assumed her message had long been lost to the sea. The postcard included details about Pia's own life, such as her interests in rock climbing and sailing, and provided a glimpse into the picturesque Norwegian landscape where the bottle was found. Alaina shared that she could hardly remember writing the message but recalled the circumstances of it being thrown into the ocean by her teacher's husband, who was a fisherman. Now 42, Alaina has reconnected with Pia through social media, and they have begun exchanging messages, fostering a unique friendship that bridges their two worlds. This story highlights not only the unexpected longevity of a simple childhood project but also the connections that can form across time and distance through shared experiences and curiosity.
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