IT'S been 15 years since a Helensburgh woman set up what was, at the time, a revolutionary business aimed at providing all the answers to the most puzzling of queries. Here's how we reported on Sarah McVittie's story in 2004...

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EVER wondered how many blades of grass there are on a football field?

Or how many cars passed over the Erskine Bridge this morning?

A young Helensburgh woman can tell you the answers to these and many more bizarre questions.

Sarah McVittie, 27, is the co-founder of ‘Re5ult’, the country’s first text messaging service which seeks to answer even the most random of queries.

She set up the company with a friend in August last year aiming to answer any question texted to 82Ask (82275) within as short a period as possible, usually less than five minutes. It is aimed at people on the move who need answers fast, and users already range from business executives to pub quiz participants.

The innovative venture is taking off, with turnover expected to be £700,000 after the first full year.

Each question costs £1 (provided it is answered) with reduced rates for bulk buys, and Sarah says 85 per cent of questions are answered within five minutes.

Sarah, who lived in Colquhoun Street with her family for 15 years, says she’s having the time of her life.

“I just love everything we are doing at the moment,” said Sarah, who has previously worked in Bonners’ restaurant in West Clyde Street and the Rosslea Hall Hotel in Rhu.

“We had the idea in February last year and we did lots of research and surveys into whether it would work.

“We have put so much effort into it, so much work, it’s really satisfying.”

She says there’s been no limit on the variety of questions asked, with some of the more memorable including “why are frogs green” and “how many dimples are there on a golf ball”.

“We get lots of questions about sailing, high tides and low tides, concerts and cinema times in Scotland as well as quite a few questions about walking,” said Sarah.

“We get lots of pub quiz questions and questions from people going to meetings as well as football trivia.

“And a lot of people want to know about local restaurants and going out and about.

“We get literally everything from the sublime to the ridiculous,” she added.

Speaking of which, Re5ult told us in 15 minutes that there are 84.5 million blades of grass on a football pitch, based on an average of 600 to 1,600 blades per square foot.

As for the Erskine Bridge, you’ll have to text them and find out yourself.