The card came from her former partner’s mother.
Alphie Meleyal, now 60, finally got a card mailed to her in 1997 after BBC Look North highlighted the nearly 27-year delay. The card came from her former partner’s mother.
Sent in the wake of Ms Meleyal’s split with her then-partner Mandy, the card contained a message from Mandy’s mother, Eileen, expressing sadness over the breakup and a hope for continued friendship between the two young women.
Ms Meleyal was astonished to receive the card, having no idea it even existed after all these years.
She told BBC, “I was shocked but pleased as punch that someone was thinking of me all that time ago.
“At first I thought it was a joke but when I got the letter I was excited and when I found out who it was from I was really touched. I am so happy I got it.”
Jackie Hill, the woman who now lives at the address, admitted to being “shocked” when a 26p stamped envelope landed unexpectedly in her mailbox.
“I didn’t realise it had a 1997 postmark until someone pointed it out so I was shocked,” she said.
“I thought it might have been important to her (Alphie) and I’m just so pleased it managed to get to her.”
Offering a possible explanation, a Royal Mail spokesperson suggested the card likely re-entered the postal system at some point, rather than being lost for nearly 27 years.
“Once an item is in the postal system then it will be delivered to the address on the letter.”
Nearly three decades on, Ms Meleyal revealed she is still in contact with Mandy and meets up with her at least once a year so “everything in the card had come true”.
