A postcard was finally delivered to a Dorchester woman last month, sent by her grandson more than 15 years ago.

Thelma Greening, 79, received the postcard on January 25. It was from her grandson Joe, who is now 22 years old and is studying for a Master's degree at Leeds University.

The postcard was sent by Joe when he was about seven years old during a holiday to North Wales with his parents. Although he remembers the holiday, he does not remember writing or sending the card.

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On one side is a photo of Criccieth Castle in the Welsh county of Gwynedd. The other side has a piece of slate attached with tape, a souvenir taken by seven-year-old Joe from when he visited a slate mine during the holiday.

The postcard reads: "Dear Granny and Grandad, I enjoyed the castles and the slate mines. Here is a piece of slate. Love Joe."

Mrs Greening said: "I'm very interested in where this card has been all of this time. It's a good thing I still live in the same house.

"I opened it and thought, 'oh that's nice for Joe to send me that' but then I noticed the handwriting and realised he must have sent it when he was about seven or eight. His handwriting is much better now.

"It's addressed to me and his grandad but my husband died 12 years ago so I knew it must have been before that.

"He doesn't even remember sending it, but then I guess I don't remember much from when I was seven years old myself.

"It's nice to finally have it though. I couldn't believe it, it's so funny."

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: "It is difficult to speculate what may have happened to this item of mail, but it is likely that it was put back into the postal system by someone recently, rather than it being lost or stuck somewhere.

"Royal Mail regularly checks all its delivery offices and clears its processing machines daily. Once an item is in the postal system then it will be delivered to the address on the card."