Ludham labrador finds message in a bottle

Kate Gabriel with the message in a bottle found whilst walking her dog Molly on Waxham Beach.The message was from a young family in Belgium which Kate translated, she has now written back.Picture: James Bass (Image: (C) Archant Norfolk 2016)

And now a message in a bottle, adorned with stickers and precious family photographs, has prompted Kate Gabriel from Ludham to put pen to paper and make contact with the senders.

Mrs Gabriel, a freelance artist, was walking her black Labrador, Molly, on the beach when during a game of fetch Molly brought back the bottle.

Mrs Gabriel said: 'We go out walking every morning. usually in Ludham, where we live, but we went out to Waxham beach and she loves me throwing things for her. But she picked up this bottle, and I saw there was something inside it.

'I called her over and there was a message inside it. I've always wanted to find a message in a bottle.'

Mrs Gabriel, 56, said when she got into the bottle - which was water-tight - she found a letter in an A4 plastic envelope sent from Blankenberge, on Belgium's coast, on June 29 this year. On the piece paper there were also stickers and photos.

'It was written in French but with my schoolgirl French I managed to translate it, it was quite simple,' she added. 'It said the writer had gone of holiday with his wife and baby, and there were photos so he must have had it ready before he left home.'

The letter said if anyone found it, they should get in contact with the family, who live in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, close to Brussels.

Mrs Gabriel who lives with her husband Tom has now written to the family to say their letter has been found, and is awaiting a response.

'We've done our bit now,' she said. 'It was a really sweet little letter, and to think it came all the way over here is brilliant.'

Have you discovered an interesting find on the region's coastline? Email geraldine.scott@archant.co.uk