Cast Away-inspired basketball washes up in Denmark after 1,000-mile voyage from Scottish island

A basketball launched into the sea from the most remote part of the UK – as a joke inspired by Tom Hanks’ film Cast Away – has been found on a beach in Denmark after a 1,000-mile journey.

Contractor John Molyneaux was given the ball in a nod to the 2000 movie, which sees the main character marooned on a remote island and befriend a basketball, which he names Wilson.

Mr Molyneaux was flown by helicopter on to St Kilda for two weeks’ work with Ogilvie Fire Protection and wrote his details on the ball at the end of his time there, before kicking it in to the Atlantic on 17 March.

“Wilson” – which had a face painted on it similar to the ball in the movie – floated around the north coast of Scotland and down into the North Sea, before washing up on a beach near the village of Vigso in the north of Denmark.

It was found by a group of German teenage children from a boarding school, who were on a hiking trip.

A social media appeal to find out who launched the ball was set up and the children began to contact the names and numbers written scrawled on it.

The search was covered by German TV and word got back to the original owners.

Paul Ogilvie, who originally gave “Wilson” to Mr Molyneaux, said: “We couldn’t believe it when we saw the photographs and video.

“We knew it was Wilson right away.

“It all started as a bit of fun. When John was going out on the job, we got him the ball and painted the face on it to look like the ball from the film.

“If he was going to be a castaway, we thought it would be a good idea for him to have some company.”

Wilson’s journey from the island was approximately 1,000 nautical miles and took nearly three months, from 17 March until 13 June.

(c) Sky News 2019: Cast Away-inspired basketball washes up in Denmark after 1,000-mile voyage from Scottish island