Balloon leaves Alice in wonderland

Updated 14.44 Thu Sep 27 2007
Keywords: Manchester, Alice Maines, school, fete, balloon

When Alice Maines released her helium balloon at a rainy school fete, little did she know it would be found 6,000 miles away.

As part of a race of 100 balloons at Flixton Junior School's annual summer fair on July 15, the four-year-old doubted it would make it to the next street let alone be discovered in China.

Xie is unlikely to claim his prize - a trip to Chester Zoo

In the weeks that followed, balloons were posted back to the school, mostly from suburbs a few miles west of Manchester, although a couple made it to Liverpool.

But it was Xie Yufei, 26, who lives in Guangzhou, around 75 miles north of Hong Kong, who astonished everyone.

He found the shrivelled, but not burst, remains when playing basketball in a park and posted it back to the school with a note.

Having baffled meteorologists, Xie is unlikely to claim his prize - a trip to Chester Zoo - but the pupils are sending him a parcel of letters and drawings as thanks.

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