Sheffield girl's balloon found 1,500 miles away in Finland

A man in Finland was left astounded when he found a balloon believed to have been released some 1,500 miles away in Sheffield - and now hopes to trace its owner.
By The Newsroom
Published 7th May 2018, 10:31 BST
Updated 7th May 2018, 11:36 BST
The balloon bores the message 'City of Sheffield'The balloon bores the message 'City of Sheffield'
The balloon bores the message 'City of Sheffield'

Arto Julkunen found the purple and blue balloon in woodlands Tampere, Finland on April 29 this year.

Written on the balloon on one side is the message: 'Lilly Butten, 9 years,' and written on the other side is: 'City of Sheffield'.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Mr Julkunen launched a Facebook appeal to see if he could find out whether the balloon was truly released in Sheffield.

The balloon, which says Lilly Butten, 9 years, was found in FinlandThe balloon, which says Lilly Butten, 9 years, was found in Finland
The balloon, which says Lilly Butten, 9 years, was found in Finland

The 56-year-old said: "My wife, my Labrador Retriever and I were having a normal Sunday walk in a forest when we found it. I first thought that 'Gosh, someone has thrown again litter in here'.

"I decided to collect it. To my surprise I saw faint writing on it - barely visible. After reading it I couldn't believe that it was really saying 'City of Sheffield'. When I read the other side, I decided that - true or not - I have to put this to Facebook. If it travelling 1,500 miles is true, it is really a wonder."

Anyone with information on where the balloon may have come from should contact him by emailing [email protected]

Related topics:FinlandSheffieldFacebook