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Man reunited with message in a bottle he threw out to sea 24 years ago

A message on a child’s birthday party invitation in a bottle thrown out to sea by a six-year-old boy has found its way back to him.
Alex from Hindley said he’ll keep the bottle forever (Picture: MEN Media)

A message on a child’s birthday party invitation in a bottle thrown out to sea by a six-year-old boy has found its way back to him.

Alex Melling, now 30, was reunited with the bottle thanks to a chance surf of the web and a friendly family from Newcastle.

The message has huge significance for him as it was written by his mum Valerie who died of cancer aged 49 when he was a teenager.

He’s since shown it to his family including his brother and their ‘emotional’ grandmother Lilian Wetherby, 86.

Alex, who’s unclear where exactly he threw the bottle out to sea in 1997, said: ‘Reading my mum’s note was really nice as it was her handwriting and her words.

‘My brother Daniel was buzzing and my grandma was really emotional.

‘I will be keeping the bottle forever now with some other keepsakes. I can’t quite believe it.’

The bottle was picked up by Izzy Winter, 17, and her brother Freddie, 22 when they took a camping holiday in south west Scotland with friends Liam Kelly, 22 and Cat Jones, 19.

A message in a bottle thrown out to sea by six-year-old Alex Melling and his mum has come back home - twenty-four years later. Alex, who lives in Hindley, says he was scrolling on Facebook Group Hindley Residents when a mention of his old childhood address caught his eye. CAPTION Freddie and Izzy Winter
Freddie and Izzy Winter found the bottle while on holiday in Scotland (Picture: MEN Media)
A message in a bottle thrown out to sea by six-year-old Alex Melling and his mum has come back home - twenty-four years later. Alex, who lives in Hindley, says he was scrolling on Facebook Group Hindley Residents when a mention of his old childhood address caught his eye. CAPTION Alex Melling as a child with mum Valerie, dad Graham and brother Freddie. His message in a bottle was found 24 years after throwing it into the sea
Alex as a child with mum Valerie, dad Graham and brother Freddie (Picture: MEN Media)

The group took to the waters off Garlieston, anchored their boat and went to explore some caves.

Inside, they found a roughed up bottle containing a note, which read: ‘If found please return to 27 Gilbert Street, Hindley. Thank You. Please address to Alex.’

Izzy said they did as it said and wrote to the address. But after weeks with no response, their dad Rex, a solicitor, 62, tried to find Alex on Facebook.

A message in a bottle thrown out to sea by six-year-old Alex Melling and his mum has come back home - twenty-four years later. Alex, who lives in Hindley, says he was scrolling on Facebook Group Hindley Residents when a mention of his old childhood address caught his eye. CAPTION Alex Melling with girlfriend Victoria
30-year-old Alex with girlfriend Victoria (Picture: MEN Media)
A message in a bottle thrown out to sea by six-year-old Alex Melling and his mum has come back home - twenty-four years later. Alex, who lives in Hindley, says he was scrolling on Facebook Group Hindley Residents when a mention of his old childhood address caught his eye. CAPTION Freddie and Victoria Winter with friends
The Winter siblings on holiday earlier this summer (Picture: MEN Media)

He posted about the discovery in the group Hindley Residents. The post read: ‘I don’t know if the bottle is 5 years old or 30 years old, but I’m sure that Alex would be interested to learn where it ended-up!’

By sheer good fortune Alex, who today lives at a different address in Hindley, Greater Manchester, started browsing the group.

A message in a bottle thrown out to sea by six-year-old Alex Melling and his mum has come back home - twenty-four years later. Alex, who lives in Hindley, says he was scrolling on Facebook Group Hindley Residents when a mention of his old childhood address caught his eye. CAPTION Alex Melling's message in a bottle was found 24 years after he threw it into the sea
Alex’s message in a bottle was found 24 years after he threw it into the sea (Picture: MEN Media)

He scrolled back up and ‘just could not quite believe it’ when he saw his name mentioned in Rex’s post.

The Winter family posted the bottle back to him with a bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey as a celebratory gift, and he has written a letter of thanks back to them.

MORE : Message in a bottle found washed up 82 years later

MORE : World’s oldest message in a bottle found half-buried in beach

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