Schoolboy's balloon found in Iraq

A helium balloon released by a schoolboy in Peterborough has been found by a British soldier clearing landmines 2,500 miles away in Iraq.

Five-year-old Kelvin Bielunski received a letter from Corporal Pete Allen saying he had spotted the balloon while working in Alamara, in southern Iraq.

He told Kelvin how the discovery had made him smile.

The balloon was released on 7 June in a competition to raise cash for Brewster Avenue Infant School, in Woodston.

Kelvin, from Woodston, said: "I'm really pleased it went so far. It's a big surprise."

'Jet stream'

Teachers at the school were also stunned to hear the balloon had drifted across Europe and the Middle East.

Headteacher Liz Waterland, who organised the competition, said: "It was astonishing when the letter came back from such a distance and many people thought it was impossible for the balloon to have travelled so far.

"It was a very hot day when the balloons were released and they went straight up and began moving south at a great rate so the balloon must have caught a jet stream and floated until it burst.

"We showed the note to Kelvin and showed him a map to explain how far it had gone.

"He's bright little boy and was really surprised to hear it had gone so far."

Other balloons drifted as far as London, Kent and Sussex.