WHEN Thomas Jackson threw a bottle into a river he never dreamed it would end up in Sweden.

But that is just what happened and when the ten-year-old received a letter from Stockholm last week, he could not believe his eyes.

When he was eight, Thomas put a message in a bottle and threw it into the River Ray at Mannington Rec, Swindon, one afternoon when he was bored.

Amazingly, the bottle had travelled from Mannington Rec and washed up on the shores of Sweden. The letter Thomas received was from Christer Mjolby, who lives in a place near Stockhom called Nynashamn.

The letter said: "When we were walking by the shores of Nynashamn, just south of Stockholm, we found your bottle with message. It seems it has travelled a long way from England."

The person who returned the bottle from Sweden did not send an address, so Thomas cannot write and thank them but he is delighted to have the message sent back.

His original letter, which was cast off in a small Lucozade bottle, read: "Whoever receives this letter write back to me." It also included Thomas's address.

Thomas, of Montagu Street, Even Swindon, can remember the day, about two years ago, when he threw his bottle in to the river. He said: "I just wanted to see how far it went. My friend put one in the river, but it just washed out and got stuck.

"I put mine in and I followed it for about half -an-hour. It got stuck once, but I got a stick and moved it. It went under a bridge and then off towards Wanbridge and that was the last time I saw it.

"When I opened the letter, I was like wow. I told my mum and we looked it up on the map where it was found. I can't believe it went that far."

Thomas, who goes to Lethbridge Junior School in Old Town, said: "My friends who I have told think it's really good it's gone that far."

His parents Elizabeth and Brian are equally as shocked.

Elizabeth said: "When he told us and we saw the letter we were a bit stunned."