Comments (0)

By Kirsty, May 3, 2012 11:09 am

Another happy couple plan to tie the knot after a romantic airborne proposal on board a Virgin hot air balloon.

For three years 26 year old Lucy Jenkins had wanted to take to the skies in a hot air balloon, little did she know that this year long-term partner Karl Dalgarno,29 would purchase flights and ask the ultimate question at 3000 feet!

After meeting six years ago just before Valentine’s Day in Luton, Karl knew the anticipated proposal would need to be equally romantic, and floating above the Bedfordshire countryside seemed the perfect opportunity. Lucy accepted Karl’s proposal and the couple landed around an hour later in Arlesey and toasted their news with a glass of champagne.

“We really enjoyed the flight and would recommend it to anyone; we’ll definitely do it again! It was a perfect morning and seeing the views and the wildlife from the sky added to our special occasion,” said Karl.

“We had an amazing time and thank you for the fantastic experience; I couldn’t have done it without you!”

Congratulations Karl and Lucy. We hope the wedding you’ve planned for April 2014 is simply perfect.

Planning to pop the question? Fly from over 100 launch sites in England, Scotland and Wales from as little as £89 per person. Call 0844 844 8080 or visit virginballoonflights.co.uk for further details.

Comments (0)

By Kirsty, April 12, 2012 10:07 am

It’s not only Her Majesty the Queen who has a jubilee in 2012 – some wacky scarecrows will be helping the jubilant villagers of Wray celebrate the Silver Jubilee of their annual country fair this year. And with the Olympics on the way, they’ll all be competing for their places on the winners’ rostrum…

Wray Fair is now an integral part of the ever-popular Wray Scarecrow Festival, one of the ‘cultural’ highlights of the Lune Valley’s calendar. Visitors (but not crows!) flock from far and wide to wander round the picturesque Lancashire village of Wray and enjoy the scarecrows which take over each spring. This year’s festival will start on Saturday 28th April and run through to Wray Fair on Monday 7th May. The first Wray Fair of the modern era was in 1986 (two were cancelled), so this year’s event will be the 25^th – it’s a wonderful achievement, which they’re eager to share. The scarecrows first started to appear in 1994 to help promote the fair, were an immediate hit, and have now become a major attraction in their own right.

To mark the occasion of Wray Fair’s Silver Jubilee, one of this year’s themes for the scarecrows will be ‘Anniversaries’. There are plenty to choose from – 2012 marks 200 years since the birth of Charles Dickens, 100 years since the sinking of the Titanic and, of course, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. There’s also a rather significant sporting event taking place in 2012, and so another theme will be ‘Sports and leisure’. Olympic-themed scarecrows will no doubt be jostling for position in the hunt for medals… along with more traditional offerings, topical creations and ingenious moving masterpieces. Virgin Balloon Flights have again generously donated a fabulous champagne balloon flight for two to the lucky overall winner.

For your chance to see the Scarecrows from the sky, you can fly from our Lancashire launch sites Wray, Crook O’Lune or Burton in Lonsdale from as little as £99 per person.

For the full timetable of events and information on the the village of Wray visit www.wrayvillage.co.uk

Comments (0)

By Kirsty, March 27, 2012 5:17 pm

Our Virgin London Marathon runner Adam Fleetwood joined another 10,000 people at Silverstone Grand Prix circuit earlier this month for the annual ‘Adidas Silverstone Half Marathon’ as part of his training. Glorious sunshine, new trainers, some leg supports and plenty of carbs allowed Adam to finish the 13.1 mile slog in 1 hour and 46 minutes!

“Training is going well and the Silverstone half really helped me concentrate on pace and distance, it was great for getting in some extra miles too. We even got a shout out on Heart FM for Virgin Balloon Flights! I was pleased with my finish time and am hoping to keep a similar pace at the marathon which is just three and a half weeks away.”

Sponsorship is on the up and Adam has now sold all three spots on his running vest to local businesses Willows Dental, Team Support and Telling Architects bringing his current fundraising for Birmingham Children’s Hospital over the £2000 mark – yippee!

Of course there is still time to sponsor Adam on his Virgin Money Giving Page before the big day on April 22^nd.

Comments (0)

By Kirsty, March 5, 2012 12:41 pm

Here is the latest blog update from Virgin Balloon Flights runner, freelance designer Adam Fleetwood.

“I’m pleased to say that sponsorship for the Virgin London Marathon is rolling in nicely, friends, family, Virgin Balloon Flights colleagues and local businesses are all making kind donations which is fantastic.

I’ve recently been selling sponsorship space on my Virgin Unite running vest and two of my very generous customers, Willows Dental (£200) and Telling Architects (£100) have taken two of the three spaces which has really helped me get close to my target of £2000.00. I’m currently at £1921.25 including gift aid.

There is still one last space on my running vest for any company that wishes to get some great exposure and at the same time give to a great cause. If you’re interested or know anyone that might be, please get in touch at wotsitdesign@gmail.com or call 07970 821266.

Please help me keep the donations rolling in for Birmingham Children’s Hospital. It will make running the 26.2 miles all the more worthwhile!

To make a donation visit my Virgin Money Giving Sponsorship page.

Thank you

Adam x”

Comments (0)

By Kirsty, March 2, 2012 6:03 pm

73 year old Eddie Montague of Stalham, Norfolk, proved there is no time for being too serious in your seventies when he sent in a teddy adventure photograph to Virgin Balloon Flights.

On their 20ft Viking Cruiser boat on the river Ant in Stalham, Eddie and his wife, also 73, were off for a picnic when something caught their eye. Of course it was one of our big red balloons on the skyline …

“I managed to get the boat into the right position to get the reflection of the balloon and as I always have my camera with me I took 2 or 3 photos.”

So why the Photoshopping?

“In the Stalham Town Hall every Tuesday two ladies of about my age have a charity Tombola stall and the prizes are always soft toys. We invariably win something so as a bit of fun I photograph the toys I win in a holiday or sporting type of environment (surfing, skiing etc.) and make it into a postcard to pass back on to the ladies. It’s become a regular ritual. Who says you can’t have fun in your seventies? So that was the card for the Tombola ladies from “Teddy and Giraffe” on a balloon ride!”

We just love it Eddie, and your sense of humour has brightened up our Friday here at Virgin Balloon Flights and we’re pleased to hear all 6 of your grandchildren enjoyed the shots!

We have a fabulous new launch site in Norfolk for the 2012 season called Old Buckenham Airfield and flights are available from as little as £99 per person! Simply call 0844 8448080 or visit www.virginballoonflights.co.uk to book.

Comments (0)

By Eve, March 1, 2012 12:36 pm

Today is the day that all pilots, crew and staff at Virgin Balloon Flights have been waiting for since the end of the 2011 flying season – it’s the first day of the 2012 hot air balloon ride flying season – hooray!

Up and down the UK our pilots and crew have been busy primping and preening their balloons and baskets over the last few months in preparation for what we hope will be a record year of balloon rides for Virgin Balloon Flights.

This season we have some lovely new pilots, balloons and exciting new launch sites to add to our already impressive collection. Take a look at our spectacular Dogmersfield launch site in Hampshire for example which launches from the stunningly beautiful Four Seasons Hotel. If there’s an aviation enthusiast in your family then a balloon ride from Old Buckenham Airfield in Norfolk is the perfect launch site to choose.

With Mother’s Day hot on our heels and the Diamond Jubilee to celebrate this year we’re hoping to see lots of new faces in our baskets.

So instead of looking up at our big red balloons flying gracefully through the skies and dreaming of what a fabulous view its passengers must have – come and join us up here for a very special journey you’ll remember forever.

See you soon!

Balloon Ride Prices | Balloon Ride Video | The Ballooning Experience | Balloon Launch Locations

Comments (1)

By Kirsty, February 29, 2012 12:41 pm

There’s nothing better than letting Mum know just how much you care and Mother’s Day is the perfect way to celebrate maternal bonds and honour motherhood. For hundreds of years throughout the world, festivals and revelries have taken place to celebrate the influence of mothers in society and give people an excuse to simply spoil their Mum.

Virgin Balloon Flights have a range of gifts for Mother’s Day from less than a fiver and we’re currently offering a whopping 30% off our hot air balloon rides!

So whether you choose luxury Virgin Balloon Flights Champagne truffles at £3.49, a sparkling wine and chocolates hamper reduced from £29.99 to £24.99 or a balloon ride itself from as little as £89 per person, we’ll make sure Mum gets an experience of a lifetime.

Make the gift that little bit extra special this Mother’s Day and present Mum’s luxury hot air balloon ride vouchers in a Balloon in a Box for just £14.99… what more could she want?!

With flights from over 100 launch sites in England, Scotland and Wales, Mum’s adventure is never too far from home.

Call us now on 0844 8448080 or visit virginballoonflights.co.uk

Comments (0)

By Kirsty, February 27, 2012 12:40 pm

Virgin London Marathon together with Virgin Money Giving have teamed up to create a bit of fun for Marathon runners in the form of Marathon News TV.

Last week runners of the marathon were sent a link to create a news piece simply by filling in their details, such fun! Being a good sport, Virgin Balloon Flights marathon runner, freelance designer Adam Fleetwood got his three minutes of fame, which you can watch by following this link:

http://www.marathonnewstv.com/?f=Adam%20&l=Fleetwood&v=AdamFleetwood&ch=Virgin%20Unite&n=1

You can help support our chosen charity Birmingham Children’s Hospital by sponsoring Adam on his Virgin Money Giving Page, every penny counts! You can also keep up to date with his training and fundraising on our blog.

Virgin Balloon Flights fly from over 100 launch sites in England, Scotland and Wales from as little as £89 per person, for further information, please call 0844 8448080 or visit virginballoonflights.co.uk

Comments (0)

By Kirsty, February 23, 2012 6:16 pm

As part of our Green Office Plan, we here at Virgin Balloon Flights have been thinking of ways to make our lovely red company a little greener.

In our monthly internal newsletter we asked staff for easy ideas to make our business more sustainable. We had some super inventive ideas including one from Customer Service Representative Carrie-Ann Starling, who suggested we use white boards rather than notepads for our call centre staff – ingenious!!

Our shiny new white boards will save us around 150 notepads a year, that’s a huge 7,500gms of paper. Further suggestions have included bicycle parks and a car share scheme which we hope to implement in the near future.