A Dutch man has come across a message-in-a-bottle written by a girl in 1987 while digging up his back garden and eventually managed to track her down through social media.
The incident took place in the city of Kampen in the Dutch province of Overijssel on Sunday morning.
Hans Hensbergen and his brother-in-law Michiel were digging up the back garden to lay down a new patio when one of them hit a hard object and heard a clink.
The pair looked down and noticed a smashed jar with a note inside.
The note, which had been underground for 33 years, was left by then 11-year-old Danielle Prins from Kampen.
The note from Danielle Prins that appeared in Hans Hensbergen’s garden 
The note from Danielle Prins that appeared in Hans Hensbergen’s garden
It read: “This note is for the people who live here after me, although I am afraid that nature will already be very polluted by then.
“I put this jar in the ground on 5 April 1987 and I hope someone finds it and tries to do something about our environment.”
The youngster added: “We all need to defend the environment.”
Hensbergen later found another jar in the soil which only contained a pencil.
He later posted images of the incident on Facebook and asked if anyone knew who Danielle Prins is.
Hensbergen’s post was shared nearly 20,000 times and was spotted by Prins’ brother Rick.
Hensbergen said: “It turned out that they lived here in the past. Danielle was 11 years old when she buried the jar in the garden.”
After being informed of the find, Prins said: “I know I buried jars once, but I don’t remember anything about the note. It’s very special.
“My friend came up to me and said ‘this isn’t you is it?’ and then everyone started calling and texting me!
“I didn’t think those jars would still be there. We moved from that house 25 years ago. After that, several families have lived there who also did work to the garden. I presumed everything was long gone.”
Danielle appeared concerned about the environment in her 33-year-old note, and today she admits that she is worried about it as much as ever, and now others are too.
She explained: “I neatly separate my waste and I don’t throw litter on the street. And I hate that there is so much deforestation, but it has not become my life goal as someone might expect from such a note.”
Meanwhile, the note’s new owner said: “We are going to write on the back that we found it and then bury it in the ground again.”
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Story By: Lee Bullen, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash
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