Ref. 71779-29A FRAGILE balloon crossed the Irish Sea before finally giving up the ghost in a Wroughton garden in a thunderstorm.

The balloon was one of several hundred launched from Enniskillen Integrated Primary School, 230 miles away in Northern Ireland on June 4.

The pupils wanted to see which balloon would travel the furthest.

One of them, number 215, drifted for two months before reaching Swindon.

It landed in the garden of pensioners Monica and Kenneth Matthews, who live in Dunbar Road.

Mrs Matthews said: "The balloon appeared in the garden after one of the big thunderstorms. I'm sure it wasn't there beforehand.

"I picked it up and saw that it had a little card and a blue ribbon."

The card bears a number 215 and the message that it was launched from the school on June 4.

Mrs Matthew added: "The balloon came such a long way to land in the garden, so I'm glad I saw it."

She now plans to post the remains of the balloon and its card to the school, with a letter, explaining where it was found.

Nobody was available at the school to speak to the Evening Advertiser.