Message In A Bottle: 50-Year-Old School Project Travels From England To Norway

A message in a bottle, sent nearly 50 years ago by staff or students from a now-closed school, has surfaced on a Norwegian beach. Hedda Traa Haukom, 14, discovered the bottle while exploring Ny-Hellesund with her cousins. The note inside originated from Bolton County Grammar School in England, which changed its name 42 years ago. The message read: “To the finder. Please return this bottle to Bolton County Grammar School, Bolton, Lancashire, England. And they will receive one pound or the equivalent in Francs. Written on the Channel Boat. Thank you!” Though undated, the note is at least 42 years old since the school was renamed in 1982. "We stumbled upon a bottle with a piece of paper inside," said Haukom. "It was located ten meters from shore, under a rock." Bolton County Grammar School opened as Bolton Higher Grade School in 1881 and underwent several transformations before becoming Withins School in 1982 and eventually closing in 2009. Haukom expressed curiosity about finding the original sender: “It would be really fun to find whoever wrote the message and let them know we got it and how far it traveled over so many years.” The discovery adds another chapter to the school's storied history and connects past generations across continents through an unexpected find on a quiet Norwegian beach.

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This German City Just Won the Title Of Europe's Green Capital For its Climate Change Commitment

Germany’s Heilbronn has been named Europe’s Green Capital for 2027, topping a list of cities that are leading the way in sustainability and climate resilience. The announcement was made on 2 October during the European Green Cities Awards, held at the Lithuanian National Art Gallery in Vilnius. In total, €1 million in sustainability grants were awarded to three cities: Heilbronn (Germany), Assen (Netherlands), and Siena (Italy). Heilbronn, located in the Stuttgart region, took the top spot thanks to its performance across several categories, including air and water quality, noise reduction, climate change adaptation, and its approach to the circular economy. The European Commission praised Heilbronn for its “holistic urban planning,” noting that the city integrates air and noise quality management into its broader urban strategies through two major plans: the Landscape Plan 2030 and the Mobility Concept. The jury also highlighted Heilbronn’s ambitious sustainability targets for 2035 and its collaborative work with other regional actors. The title comes with a €600,000 prize, which Heilbronn will use to boost ongoing sustainability efforts and roll out new environmental projects. Alongside Heilbronn, two smaller cities were awarded the European Green Leaf title, which recognises cities with fewer than 100,000 residents. Assen, in the Netherlands, was recognised for its “strong commitment to circularity and climate change mitigation,” as well as its innovative waste management system, including enhanced collection of PMD (Plastic, Metal, and Drink cartons). The city has already seen a significant drop in emissions through building retrofits and the decarbonisation of municipal services. Assen also drew praise for its sustainable transport infrastructure, particularly the cycling highway that connects the city to Groningen. Italy’s Siena shared the Green Leaf Award, earning recognition for its sustainable land use and green space development, along with a recycling programme that has slashed landfill waste to just one percent of the total. The city’s urban planning and commitment to environmental protection were key factors in its win. Both Siena and Assen received €200,000 to continue their green initiatives. Finalists for the awards included Debrecen (Hungary), Klagenfurt on Lake Wörthersee (Austria), Benidorm (Spain), and Saint-Quentin (France), which were all commended for their strong local sustainability efforts. “These awards recognise cities that strive to be at the forefront of urban and environmental sustainability,” said Jessika Roswall, European Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy. “Cities that – simply put – lead by example. This is both a recognition and a responsibility,” she added. “You are our new ambassadors of the green transition.”

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Mother-Daughter Duo Trains for First Marathon After Running Club Rejection

When Harper Spain asked to join her second-grade running club in Wisconsin, she was told she wasn’t old enough. But instead of backing down, she found another way to chase her goal — by running alongside her mom. That decision has since taken Harper, now 9, and her mom, Laurel Mullen, 28, from short jogs in the neighborhood to training for a full marathon. It started with a simple workaround. If the school club wasn’t an option, Mullen figured, why not just lace up and run together? After moving to Las Vegas, they joined the Grace Run Club, where Harper quickly stood out — not just because she was the youngest, but because she kept showing up. The group, mostly adults, has cheered her on every step of the way. They started small, with 10K races. Then Harper completed a half-marathon at Mount Charleston. After crossing the finish line, she turned to her mom and said she wanted to run a full marathon. “She sees what she can do and thinks she can go further,” Mullen said. That’s been the approach from the beginning — pushing forward, but never pushing too hard. Since Harper is still young, they focus less on pace and more on listening to their bodies. Walk breaks and post-run stretches are part of the plan. It’s not about medals or rankings. It’s about joy. Matching race-day outfits and fun themes help keep the energy up. They’ve turned running into something to look forward to. “This has all been her idea,” Mullen said. “I’m just the support person in the background.” When runs get tough, they rely on their mantras — simple phrases like “We’re strong” — to push through. Music is another tool in the toolbox, with Harper’s playlists featuring Taylor Swift and Hannah Montana. For Mullen, the journey has been life-changing. She started out overweight and had even undergone back surgery before she began running. At first, she was intimidated by the idea. But by staying at Harper’s pace, she found her stride. “I was scared,” she said. But now, she’s running side-by-side with her daughter — and finding motivation in every step. The energy has spread to the rest of the family too. Harper’s dad joins in when he can, and the hope is to bring more relatives along for future races. Already, the duo runs at least 21 kilometers every weekend. Online, their journey has gone viral. Clips from races, especially Harper’s first half-marathon, have drawn praise from followers. “Everyone was commenting ‘This is so inspiring,’” Mullen said. With early alarms sometimes set for 2 a.m. and bedtime routines starting at 6 p.m., race days require discipline — and improvisation. At one freezing start line, they realized they’d forgotten gloves. They made do. Bundled under shiny thermal blankets, they waited for the start, keeping each other warm. Next on the list: their first marathon. After that, they’ve got their eyes on something bigger than just miles. They’re working on launching Mini Milers — a youth running club designed to give kids in Las Vegas a chance to participate in a sport that’s often dominated by adults. The goal is to open doors for more kids to experience the joy of running, just like Harper has. From being turned away for being too young to becoming a marathoner-in-the-making, Harper is proving that age doesn’t define ambition — and that the best runs are the ones you take together.

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How Rwanda’s Marburg Outbreak Changed One Doctor’s Life — and May Have Saved Many More

When Dr Tsion Firew looked down at her phone after a routine first aid training, she wasn’t expecting a message that would change the course of her life. It was about a colleague she’d worked with just days earlier in the emergency department at King Faisal Hospital in Kigali, Rwanda — a vibrant, sharp young nurse full of energy. The message was short: “Pray for her.” Firew, chair of emergency medicine at Africa Health Sciences University, immediately rerouted her day and made her way to the ICU. Behind a patient divider, she found the nurse almost unrecognisable — eyes half-closed, barely responsive. “It was quite scary, because you had no idea what you were dealing with,” Firew said. Within days, the answer came. On September 27, 2024, Rwanda officially declared an outbreak of Marburg virus — a cousin of Ebola, with a terrifying fatality rate that has reached nearly 90 percent in past outbreaks. For Firew, it marked the start of one of the most harrowing periods of her life — as a mother, a frontline physician, and one of the public health leaders thrust into containing one of the deadliest viruses on Earth. And yet, by the time Rwanda declared the outbreak over on December 20, 2024, the country had achieved something no other Marburg-hit nation ever had: the lowest fatality rate on record. Of the 66 people infected, only 15 died — a death rate of just 23 percent. It was an extraordinary feat in a field where survival is rarely expected. Most of the infected were health workers. Many of them were Firew’s colleagues. Some were her friends. One of them was the nurse from the ICU. She died shortly after. Another was the colleague who had hugged Firew in the hallway after she broke down in tears. Hours after that hug, he texted her: “I’ve developed a fever. I’m in an isolation unit.” That was the moment, Firew said, when the fear fully set in. “Oh God. This is — this is real.” Marburg spreads through contact with bodily fluids — even sweat. Firew’s mind spiraled through everything. Had she been exposed during that hug? Was she bringing the virus home to her children, aged 1 and 3? Her husband was stranded in Atlanta after Hurricane Helene, unable to return. “Telling a 1-year-old and a 3-year-old, ‘Stay in a corner. Don’t touch me!’ was not going to fly,” she said. With no other option, she sent them to Ethiopia, where her parents live, accompanied by a cousin and a nanny. She didn’t tell her parents the real reason — just that the kids were going on a holiday. The next day, her 3-year-old developed a fever. Her mind jumped to the worst-case scenario: Had she infected him? He got on the phone, pleading: “Mommy, I need you now. Where are you? Why are you not with me?” She nearly boarded a flight to Ethiopia. Then she cancelled it. Meanwhile, colleagues continued falling ill. Many didn’t survive. “Especially in the first three, four days, most of them died,” she said. Firew herself was tested. Her son was tested. Both were negative. Her son had tonsillitis, not Marburg. But the fear didn’t go away. At home alone, with her family gone and her colleagues dying around her, she barely slept for five days. Eventually, she began hallucinating. “I was hearing voices. It was voices of my colleagues,” she said. “Right when I’m about to doze off, they’d wake me up.” One voice in particular stood out: her friend who had hugged her, who was now fighting for his life. She heard him calling her name. She heard the beeping of the machines. Still, she showed up for work. And what she helped pull off — alongside her colleagues and Rwanda’s health authorities — was something that is now being studied around the world. She helped pioneer a new approach: administering the antiviral remdesivir to health workers with high-risk exposures before they showed symptoms. “The idea was bought on that Tuesday. It was started on that Wednesday,” Firew said. More than 150 workers received it. Studies are ongoing, but she believes it played a key role in reducing the death toll. In another first, her colleague — the one who had hugged her — received a monoclonal antibody treatment designed to neutralize the Marburg virus. It was the first time it had ever been tried on a human patient. It may have saved his life. “This work, this effort did not go to waste,” Firew said. “It is not futile.” What still stings is how differently this outbreak played out compared to her experience working in New York City during the peak of the COVID pandemic. Back then, she said, she felt like health professionals were often working against government policies. This time, it felt the opposite. “There were no Marburg deniers. There were a lot of COVID deniers,” she said. The Rwandan government moved quickly — setting up isolation wards, securing protective equipment, and approving experimental treatments and vaccines. Within ten days, they launched a clinical trial for a Marburg vaccine. Firew says Rwanda’s success proves something that’s often questioned in global public health: That science-based policy and rapid response can work. Even in the face of a virus with no cure. Even in a country with far fewer resources than wealthier nations. “The discussions about public health can be so discouraging,” she said. “But I look back and see: This work, this effort did not go to waste.” She still carries the weight of the outbreak — of friends lost, of choices made, of risks taken. But a moment six weeks in helped bring her back. Her husband and kids finally returned to Kigali. At the airport, her 3-year-old spotted her and sprinted across the terminal. “It was like this prolonged hug,” she recalled through tears. “He just did not want to let go of me.” It was a feeling, she said, that she’s never had before.

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Cook Saves Loyal Customer After Noticing His Absence from Daily Gumbo Routine

For more than ten years, the Shrimp Basket in Pensacola, Florida, could set its clock by one man. Every day, right around 11 a.m., the door would open, and their most loyal customer would stroll in for his usual: a cup of gumbo. “He’s like everyone’s grandpa,” said Donnell Stallworth, a cook at the restaurant. The man had become such a fixture that staff threw him a 78th birthday party a few months ago. So when he suddenly stopped showing up, everyone noticed. Days passed, and concern turned into worry. Something wasn’t right. “I just left work, went to his house, and I knocked on the door like two times,” Stallworth told WEAR-TV. “The third time I knocked on it… I kind of stayed up for a minute, and I knocked again, and I heard him like, ‘Help’ and ‘Who is it?’” When Stallworth identified himself, the man invited him in. What he found was heartbreaking — the elderly customer was lying on the floor, injured and unable to move after a fall. He had been there for days. His body was bruised, and several ribs were broken, according to the news report. Without Stallworth’s visit, it’s unclear how much longer he would have gone unnoticed. “He was in tears, like, ‘I don’t even know how long I’ve been here,’” Stallworth said. Paramedics arrived soon after, and the man was taken to the hospital. He’s now recovering, helped along by physical therapy — and by Stallworth, who still brings him gumbo every few days. The Shrimp Basket team hopes it won’t be long before that familiar door swings open again at 11 a.m., and their friend takes his usual seat. Not all heroes wear capes. This time, the hero wore an apron, and followed his gut when something felt wrong.

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Family Reunion by Fate: Cousins Meet at Ancestor’s Grave by Complete Chance

A pair of British cousins visiting their ancestor’s grave in England made a remarkable discovery when they arrived to find two Americans already standing at the same headstone — and realized they were all related. Ian Brandon and Malcolm Atkins, both from the UK, had been tracing their family history for years. Their journey led them to St Peter’s Church in the town of Raunds, Northamptonshire, where their great-great-great-grandfather, Anthony Smith, is buried. When they arrived last month, they were stunned to find another couple at the same gravesite — Rand and Janeel Smith, who had traveled 3,700 miles from Kansas City to visit the grave of Rand’s ancestor. “You couldn’t make it up,” said Malcolm, a grandfather of two from East London. “We met at that precise moment, and now people are saying it’s divine intervention. I don’t have a religious bone, but if we arrived half-an-hour later, we wouldn’t have known they were there.” Malcolm and Ian had spent seven years planning their visit. Ironically, their trip got off to a rough start when their car became stuck trying to find parking near the church. “These two Americans went past the car and smiled as I was stuck,” Malcolm said. “Then these two people were literally standing by the headstone of my third great-grandad.” Rand was already reading the inscription when his wife asked the two strangers if they knew the person buried there. Ian replied, “That’s my third great-grandfather.” Rand answered, “That’s my third great-grandfather,” too. The realization left all four speechless. The odds of such a meeting, according to the family, were an astonishing 12 billion to one. “It was amazing, it was like we all knew each other,” Malcolm said. “Then we went to a nearby pub, where we found we had so much in common. We’d love to see him again. I’d love to go to Kansas.” Ian, from Danbury, Essex, said their timing was purely by chance. “We basically turned up together, it was most strange,” he said. “They were there two minutes before we were. We had so much in common. We exchanged emails, so we’ll keep in contact.” The three men discovered they were fourth cousins, all descended from Anthony Smith, who once owned a shoe factory in Raunds. For Malcolm, a dedicated genealogy enthusiast, the meeting was a once-in-a-lifetime validation of his hobby. “My wife Linda always wondered how I could do such a boring hobby,” he said. “It’s just names on a piece of paper, but on one account I’ve got 2,000 names. It’s helped us dig into this, which is incredible. You couldn’t have written it. I’m still shocked by it. It’s a day we’ll never forget.” Rand said the trip fulfilled a decades-old dream. “Forty years ago my grandfather travelled from the U.S. and visited the graves of our forefathers at St Peter’s Church,” he said. “Since that time, I’ve had the same desire. When we located the headstones, we were stunned to have several others come up and examine the same stones. To learn that they are our fourth cousins was absolutely thrilling.” After sharing lunch together, the families promised to stay in touch. “We feel that divine intervention put us together,” Rand said. “What a highlight of our lives.”

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This Canadian Man Credits His Dog With Saving His Life From a Charging Grizzly

A quiet walk on a familiar trail near Cochrane, Alberta, turned into a terrifying brush with death for Craig Campbell — until his 10-year-old Doberman, Night, leapt into action. Campbell and Night had walked that same wooded path countless times before. But this time, a grizzly bear and her two cubs had wandered close to the trail, hidden in the bushes between nearby farms. “I managed two thoughts,” Campbell told CTV News. “First of all, I said to myself, ‘This can’t be happening.’ And then I realized I wasn’t going to get the bear spray out (in time) and I said to myself, ‘I’m about to die.’” Before he could reach for his spray, Night bolted ahead, barking and standing between his owner and the bear. The grizzly rose on its hind legs, towering more than two meters high, but Night refused to back down. The dog’s courage bought Campbell just enough time to get ready — but before he had to use his spray, the bear huffed and retreated to her cubs. “He is a very brave dog,” Campbell said. “To have an animal that literally stood between me and death, there’s no better friend than that.” Campbell, an experienced trainer, believes Night’s quick thinking came from years of training in Schutzhund, a German dog sport used to teach obedience and protection skills to breeds like Dobermans and German Shepherds. Night’s heroism earned national recognition. He was inducted into Purina’s Animal Hall of Fame for 2025 — Canada’s longest-running award celebrating pets that save lives or make extraordinary contributions. The honour includes a medallion, a ceremony in Toronto, and a year’s supply of free pet food. Despite his newfound fame, Campbell says Night hasn’t changed. The loyal Doberman still loves splashing in streams and chasing minnows — the same playful spirit that makes him both a hero and a best friend. “To have a dog that brave,” Campbell said, “it just reminds you why they’re called man’s best friend.”

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Bride's Heartwarming Video of Dad's Sweet Text After Wedding Goes Viral with 6.5 Million Views

A heartwarming text message from a father to his daughter has captured the internet's attention, gathering 6.5 million views on TikTok. Just one day after her wedding, Dana Jesscari received a touching reminder from her father that he would always be there for her. The New Jersey native shared that the text wasn't unexpected. "I wasn’t surprised," Jesscari told PEOPLE. "My dad has always been somebody to do everything that he said — pick me up and be there for me." This reassuring message came just after she embarked on a new chapter in her life, reminding her of their enduring bond. In the viral video, Jesscari posted a screenshot of her dad’s message: “Remember not to be shy about calling me if you need me to pick you up at the train station or anything else. First ask your husband and if he can’t, ask me. OK?” In her caption, Jesscari expressed plans to frame the message as a reminder of his unwavering support. Jesscari and her father have maintained a strong relationship over the years. They speak almost daily, sharing conversations on topics ranging from history to travel plans. "I miss my parents more now than I thought I would," she confessed. The widespread attention from the video brought out various reactions in the comments section. Many viewers reflected on their own relationships with their parents, sparking discussions about family dynamics. Some shared sentiments of wishing for stronger connections with their fathers but feeling unsure how to initiate change. While acknowledging that familial relationships can be intricate, Jesscari encourages others not to hesitate when reaching out for support. “Don’t have any regrets," she advised. "Try to pursue that friendship versus parent-to-child and have them be needed in your life." For Jesscari’s father, being involved is a rewarding experience. "They want to feel needed because every time I need something, I feel like my parents’ eyes light up 'cause they're like, 'Oh, I get to be involved!'” she added.

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Athens is Embracing Urban Beekeeping With Rooftop Hives, Boosting Honey Production

High above Athens, among the concrete rooftops and apartment terraces, a quiet movement is taking shape — one that hums with life. Perched on buildings with sweeping views of the Parthenon, 37-year-old Nikos Chatzilias spends his days tending to more than a million bees. What started as a personal project to make better honey has turned into a full-fledged passion — and a growing community of urban beekeepers across Greece’s capital. “I saw that it worked really well for the hives. For us, the daily contact with the bees brought us a lot of joy, and that’s why we continued,” he said. This summer alone, Chatzilias managed 30 hives spread across seven rooftops around Athens. Together, his bees produced about 500 kilograms of honey — roughly the weight of a large brown bear. Each jar is labeled by neighbourhood, and each neighbourhood’s honey tastes slightly different, depending on its mix of eucalyptus, acacia, bitter orange, or pine. Urban beekeeping isn’t new to Athens. Decades ago, many Greek families brought hives with them when they moved from rural villages to the city. But this new generation of beekeepers is doing it with purpose — not out of necessity, but as a way to reconnect with nature and strengthen local ecosystems. Chatzilias says he was always a heavy honey consumer, eating it with bread and tea every morning and using it in place of sugar in desserts. Dissatisfied with store-bought honey, he took up beekeeping classes in 2020 and turned professional soon after. Now, his rooftop colonies — including one with a view of the Acropolis — serve as both a livelihood and a statement about the potential for urban sustainability. One of his newer recruits, Aggelina Chatzistavrou, was first drawn to bees while studying at university. “I really liked the idea of having my own,” she said from her rooftop overlooking Athens. “If everyone could have a hive in an open space at their home, I believe it would change our environment in a big way.” But not everyone is as eager to share their building with thousands of bees. “There are fears along the lines of, ‘They might sting me, my children, my dog. What if I’m allergic?’” Chatzilias said. “For city people — because they have been cut off from nature for so many years — even something natural that happens can provoke fear.” The work itself isn’t easy. Hives can weigh more than 20 kilograms each, and hauling them up narrow staircases to rooftops each spring — and down again before winter — is grueling. Still, the rewards are sweet. Athens, with its year-round blooms of pollinator-friendly plants, offers a surprisingly fertile home for bees. Unlike in many cities, the mild climate allows Chatzilias to experiment with leaving his hives in place all year instead of moving them seasonally. “Even with a chaotic urban environment that we’ve created, nature, or whatever remains of it in the city, still responds and can give life,” he said. For Chatzilias and others, that’s the point. Amid Athens’ traffic and noise, their hives are proof that even a sprawling city can still buzz with the rhythms of the natural world, one rooftop at a time.

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A 70-Year-Old Marine Biologist is Leading Coral Reef Restoration Efforts in Colombia

At 70 years old, Colombian marine biologist Elvira Alvarado still dives into the Caribbean Sea with the same passion she had nearly half a century ago. She still remembers her first glimpse of a coral reef. “Everything was alive. And it was green and bright orange. And there were fishes. And there were huge things. And they were corals. It was astonishing,” she says. “Can you imagine paradise? It’s paradise.” For decades, Alvarado has fought to keep that paradise alive. Known as “the mother of Colombian corals,” she has dedicated her life to rescuing coral reefs off Colombia’s Caribbean coast, where pollution, disease, and rising ocean temperatures have wiped out more than half the coral since the 1970s. “I saw them dying. I saw them turning white,” she says from the island of San Andrés, where once-vibrant reefs have turned ghostly pale. Coral reefs are essential ecosystems. They provide shelter and food for about 4,000 fish species, protect coastlines from erosion, and attract divers and tourists who sustain local economies. But coral bleaching, a stress response triggered by overheated water, is devastating these habitats. “The coral are still alive, but when they are bleached and are not feeding, they start to get weaker and weaker,” explains marine biologist Juliana Vanegas, one of Alvarado’s colleagues. “And if that lasts for enough time the coral die, basically of starvation.” To help, Alvarado and her team of about a dozen divers are using an unconventional tool — in-vitro fertilization. The method, pioneered by Australian scientist Peter Harrison, involves collecting coral eggs and sperm, fertilizing them in a lab, and then transplanting the baby coral back into the ocean. Alvarado has become Colombia’s most passionate advocate for the approach. “We can’t stop what is happening,” she says, referring to climate change and the deadly Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease spreading across the Caribbean. “But we can try to replace coral that’s dying.” Her journey began in the 1960s, when as a young girl living in the United States she became fascinated by TV shows like Sea Hunt and Flipper. The ocean called to her, and when she returned to Colombia, she became one of the country’s first female marine biologists focused on coral reefs. Along the way, she met her childhood idol, ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau. “We sat down, and he was talking to me. It was a dream,” she recalls. Alvarado’s early research focused on sharks and cancer, but as coral started to vanish, she shifted her focus to reef restoration. She learned to free dive to depths of 22 meters and began experimenting with growing coral in nurseries. Timing is everything for her team. Coral spawn only once a year, about a week after the full moon, giving them just a few nights to collect eggs and sperm. On San Andrés, Alvarado leads dives to gather the material using nets and tubes placed around selected coral. One night, she surfaces with nothing. The next, she spots movement in the water and shouts with joy: “They’ve spawned!” She hurries to a small lab where she and her team mix the eggs and sperm in plastic tubs of seawater. Under the microscope, the fertilized coral look like tiny raspberries. The baby coral will spend up to a year in seaside nurseries before being transplanted to reefs. By selecting coral that have survived higher temperatures, Alvarado hopes to breed hardier generations capable of withstanding the planet’s warming oceans. “The trick,” she says, “is to regenerate coral faster than they die.” She knows the reefs will never look as they did when she first dove beneath the surface in the 1970s, but she’s optimistic. “We will have reefs that are resistant to the warming conditions,” she says. Beyond her scientific work, Alvarado has inspired a generation of Colombian marine biologists, many of them women. “She’s a very inspiring woman,” says María Fernanda Maya, who heads the Blue Indigo Foundation. “She’s the mother of coral in Colombia.” For Alvarado, that may be her greatest legacy. “When I started this, we were just three people — two students and me,” she says. “And look what we’ve got now. This will continue even after I’m dead. That’s the good thing.”

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Why Students are Restoring an Ancient Egyptian Mummy At the University Of Lincoln

A piece of ancient history is getting a modern touch-up at the University of Lincoln. A 2,300-year-old Egyptian mummy known as Pa-Sheri has been brought to the UK for some much-needed restoration work. This mummified man has been part of the Derby Museums collection since at least 1859, after being transported from Egypt to Britain during the 19th century. X-rays revealed that Pa-Sheri experienced significant damage when he was previously unwrapped and examined. The museum's findings showed his head, pelvis, and parts of his limbs were removed. His arm bones were even rearranged into his chest cavity before his outer wrappings were reattached to conceal the damage. Ella Maude, a conservator who recently completed a graduate diploma in conservation studies, remarked on the Victorian-era fascination with such artifacts: "We don't know if it was for scientific study or there are occasionally these things called mummy unwrapping parties where it was almost for entertainment." Maude and her fellow student Ella Monteiro have been working on preserving Pa-Sheri since July, under the guidance of a senior technician. They are part of a conservation project funded by the Pilgrim Trust. Their approach focuses on minimal intervention rather than attempting to restore Pa-Sheri to an imagined original state. Pa-Sheri lived around 300 BCE during Egypt's Ptolemaic period and is encased in a cartonnage—a painted funeral mask made from plastered layers of fiber. The intricate artwork suggests that he held high social standing in ancient Luxor. Monteiro described him as "absolutely stunning," noting the hieroglyphics, illustrations, and vibrant colors that adorn his cartonnage. The students have strengthened flaking plaster and paint layers while cleaning fragile surfaces and replacing aged supports beneath Pa-Sheri’s mask. "He's very well painted," Monteiro added with admiration. Once their work wraps up this week, Pa-Sheri will return to Derby Museums. He'll be featured alongside another mummy, Pypyu, in a new exhibition exploring how Egyptian artifacts ended up in British museums like Derby's. Monteiro emphasized the importance of discussing these cultural objects' histories: "It's really important to talk about some of the objects that get brought to the UK through colonialism and occupation. Sometimes they are poorly treated here and it's important to talk about this history."

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