Two schoolgirls from March were given the surprise of their life when a message in a bottle they flung into the sea at Hunstanton was found – hundreds of miles across the North Sea on the coast of west Denmark.

Wisbech Standard: Poppy and Gracie Cornwell's message in a bottle, which washed up on the shores of west Denmark.Poppy and Gracie Cornwell's message in a bottle, which washed up on the shores of west Denmark. (Image: Archant)

Poppy and Gracie Cornwell, of Burrowmoor Road, were given a ‘message in a bottle kit’ by their parents for Christmas, and saw a trip to Hunstanton beach on Sunday January 24 as the perfect opporunity to see how fair their message could travel.

Little did they know that almost exactly one month later, their message would wash up on the shores of west Denmark, and would be picked up by keen walker Maria Deleuran.

The girls’ father, Andy, was just as shocked when he heard the news that the bottle had been found on Thursday February 25.

He said: “My wife, Tanya, was the brains behind it all. She bought the ‘message in a bottle kit’ for Poppy at Christmas.

Wisbech Standard: Poppy Cornwell with the message she handwrote.Poppy Cornwell with the message she handwrote. (Image: Archant)

“When we heard that another whale had washed up on Hunstanton beach, we thought we’d go and have a look and thought it’d be a good time to send the message.”

Nine-year-old Poppy wrote the message, while her five-year-old sister, Gracie, decorated the bottle with stick-on flowers and glitter before the family set off to the coast to send the bottle on its big journey.

Mr Cornwell said: “I waded into the sea and lobbed the bottle as far as I could. We joked afterwards, saying it’d only get as far as King’s Lynn!”

Almost one month later, the Cornwells were shocked to see that a woman from Denmark – Maria Deleuran – had posted on the ‘March Free Discussion’ Facebook group that she had found the bottle while on one of her daily walks.

She posted: “Does anyone know Miss Poppy and Miss Gracie? Today on my daily walk on the beach, I found this letter in a bottle. I wish to let both girls know how far it has travelled - all the way to the west coast of Denmark.”

Andy received a phone call whilst at work – and while his daughters were at school – saying the bottle had been found.

He said: “The girls got a great surprise at school when they found out.”