A man walking along the Mersey shoreline was “made up” to find a sweet message in a bottle sent by children that had washed ashore.
The children’s note dated May this year said “the world is on lockdown” and congratulated whoever picked up the bottle and found the message.
Mike Chamberlain, 50, was walking along the
near Hale lighthouse on Saturday last week when he stumbled across the bottle.
He said: “I’ve got a big passion and love for things like that as I used to do it with my lad in Northern Ireland.
“Every weekend we’d chuck a message in a bottle out there from around Londonderry way.
“We’ve had them found in the Outer Hebrides, the Orkney Islands - all over.
“So when I saw that one I thought there’s a message in that. I was made up, I picked it up and tried to open it on the beach but it was too tight.”
Mike, from Hale Village, took the bottle back home and managed to remove the tightly screwed top with a set of pliers.
Inside the bottle was a handwritten note signed by three children, a selection of beads, coins, a bracelet - as well as pictures and maps that the children had drawn.
Mike said: “There’s a lovely note and the maps they’ve drawn are really detailed.
“It’s great to know it was from the 11th. It didn’t travel far, it says it was from kids around the Speke area.
“It basically just floated back and forth on the shoreline there, or just got washed up in the reeds and then brought up on high water.”
The message in the bottle reads: “Well done you found the message in the bottle. The date is 11/5/20 the world is on lockdown.
“Everyone stay safe. We made the bottle for entertainment and we hope you add to it and post your adventures on Save Oglet Shore & Greenbelt.
“We made maps and drawings. We hope you are all well and you enjoy the maps.
“Thank you, Thomas, Adam [and] Grace.”
Mike told the ECHO of the plan he had to help the children’s message continue on its journey.
He posted on the Save Oglet Shore and Greenbelt Facebook group that he had found the bottle and he intended to add to it and cast it back out again.
Keep up to date with what's going on in your local area by entering your postcode below.
He said: “I’ve got it all here - I’m not going to get rid of it.
“I’m going to put everything back in and a note from me.
“And when I next go to Northern Ireland to see my lad I’m going to chuck it out and who knows where it’ll get to.”
