When six-year-old Theo Clements sent off a helium balloon containing the children's book figure Flat Stanley, little did he expect a reply from a few miles up the road.

The youngster, who attends Abbots Green Primary School in Bury St Edmunds, received a small note from a lady named only as 'Sue,' who lives in Stradbroke and discovered the balloon. He is hoping to get in contact with her after she found the balloon on August 26.

In the note, she wrote: 'Found this in the garden. We live in Stradbroke, Suffolk. Sue', but Theo's mum Claire said her son was hoping to contact the sender to thank her for responding to his balloon.

Mrs Clements said her son was uni-aphakic, which affected his vision, but was still able to watch the balloon until it disappeared from sight.

The idea was based on a summer project Theo's school had been doing on the book Flat Stanley, which was written in 1964 by Jeff Brown and features the adventures of the title character Stanley Lambchop.

In the book, Stanley and his younger brother Archer are given a big bulletin board by their father on which to display pictures and posters and Stanley hangs the board on the wall above his bed.

However, during the night the board falls and flattens Stanley in his sleep, but he survives and proceeds to make the best of his altered state.

So Mrs Clements suggested attaching a template Flat Stanley, or Flat Theo as he was renamed, which the children were given, to the balloon, measuring 12ins in length and 4ins in width.

She added: 'All we know is her name is Sue and she lives in Stradbroke. If we can track her down that would be brilliant, but next year I may have to go back to the drawing board with extra curriculum activity.

'Theo was delighted. He is now desperate to contact the lady Sue who made the effort to post him home.'

Theo said: 'She must be very nice and I would like to thank her for sending the note.'

Are you Sue? If so, please email dominic.bareham@archant.co.uk.