'Lost' pen pal letter returned to sender after 40 years

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JULIE Keeling was left 'flabbergasted' when a letter she wrote to a pen pal as a child was returned – more than 40 years after she sent it.

The letter – written to a girl named Cathy – was sent back to Julie's parents' house in Weston Coyney after failing to reach its recipient.

Royal Mail enclosed a note with the letter explaining that it had been 'found lost in the mail'.

The original envelope has been lost, leaving Cathy's full name and address a mystery.

Julie, who wrote the letter when she was 11, said: "I can't even remember who Cathy is or where she lived.

"It would be nice to be able to track her down, but I have no way of doing so.

"It would be nice to know where it has been all these years."

Julie believes that Cathy may have lived in France.

She used to write to people from all over Europe, including Germany.

In the letter, dated January 1975, Julie writes about what she got for Christmas.

The 51-year-old, of Meir Hay said: "I even typed the letter up on the brand new typewriter I received as a gift. I was so excited.

"You can still see where I made mistakes and used Tipp-Ex to blot them out. It's quite a blast from the past."

Julie started writing to her pen pals after being encouraged by her teachers at Weston Coyney Junior School.

"Writing to my German pen friend helped me get confident with the language," she added.

Julie's mum Maureen Wakefield, aged 75, from Weston Coyney, said: "I remember at the time Julie wondering why Cathy hadn't sent her a letter back.

"Now we know why – it's because she never got it!

"It brings a whole other meaning to the phrase 'snail mail'.

"I recall that Julie was quite upset at the time, thinking Cathy hadn't bothered to write.

"But Cathy must have been thinking the same thing."

Dad Ray Wakefield, aged 79, added: "It was bizarre when we first got it through the post because it was addressed to Julie Wakefield, which is her maiden name.

"I thought maybe it was a Christmas card gone astray but, from reading it, it was obviously a child's letter.

"When we saw the date we couldn't believe our eyes.

"She used to spend ages up in her room on that typewriter, writing away."

A Royal Mail spokesman said: "It is likely that this mail item has been put back into the postal system by someone, rather than it being lost in the post.

"Once an item is in the postal system, then it will be delivered to the address on the letter.

"Royal Mail does its utmost every day to deliver all items of mail."