Ilkeston girl's balloon floated 500 miles to France

Ilkeston youngster Seren Roome was delighted when a balloon she released on Valentine's Day was found more than 500 miles away in the centre of France.
Seren Roome with the postcard from France after launching a balloon in IlkestonSeren Roome with the postcard from France after launching a balloon in Ilkeston
Seren Roome with the postcard from France after launching a balloon in Ilkeston

Seren, aged seven, of Little Hallam Lane, received the postcard from a lady living in the medieval village of Decize in central France.

Her mum, Laura, said: “On Valentine’s Day my daughter let a balloon go with her name and address attached to see if anyone would contact her about where it had travelled too.

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“Not very hopeful we waved it off but a couple of weeks later we received a lovely postcard from a lady in France who found our balloon . Obviously Seren is thrilled.”

Seren, a pupil at Field House Infants School, is pictured with her grandad Bob, whose idea it was to release the balloon.

She attached her name and address to the red helium balloon which was shaped like a love heart.

The family were amazed to find out that the balloon had been found in the village which is about 160 miles south of Paris.

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The postcard, written in Enlgish, was from a woman who said she found the balloon in her garden.

Laura said: “The postcard said ‘Dear Seren, I found your balloon in my garden. I am 58 and a modern mum.”

She also apologised for her poor English.

“Seren was absolutely thrilled.’ said Laura, ‘We didn’t expect anything to come from it but thought we would give it a try.

“She has taken the postcard to school for show and tell and it is a treasured possession on the mantle piece.

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“We thought the balloon might get as far as Norfolk but never expected it would get to the middle of France.”

Seren is now looking for the perfect postcard of Ilkeston to send back to the lady who wrote to her.

Decize is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France with a population of 5, 711.

The town is situated on a former island in the Loire at the confluence of the Aron river.

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