BOVEKERKE, Belgium, 185 miles and a North Sea away from Potters Bar.

That’s where one of the 400 balloons sent up by Cranborne Primary School pupils reached earlier this week.

An email from a Belgian resident said they found the balloon in their home town, which sits near the northern coast, in the West Flanders area of Belgium.

The yellow helium balloons, which have also been found in Billericay, Wickford and Brentwood in Essex, as well as Faversham and Maidstone in Kent, were released into the air by the youngsters to mark Celebrating RE month on Friday March 25.

Each of the student’s balloons were attached with their hopes and wishes for the future, while they also took part in a variety of art activities focusing on either an aspect of Christianity or the faith that they were studying as part of the curriculum, to mark the month worth of celebrations.

Janet Shipperlee, at the Laurel Fields-based school, said: “The first one returned was found at London Colney which we were quite pleased about.

“However, we subsequently had returns from all over the place. Who knows where it will end?”