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By Alex, July 28, 2011 1:45 pm

Teenaged aviator Chloe Hallett, daughter of Virgin balloonist Lindsay Muir, has become the youngest balloon pilot in the country.

The budding ballooning star, from Bishops Castle, picked up her licence on her 17th birthday to claim the accolade, having started learning at just 15.

Lindsay, who pilots balloon rides in Shropshire and Cheshire, is a former British national hot air balloon champion and has been teaching Chloe everything she knows.

Lindsay said: “It came quite naturally to Chloe and she was very, very relaxed about it. A lot of students coming into it are very tense most of the way through.

“Chloe would chat away, look over the side of the basket, burn, talk about something else… and then tell her mother to shut up because she needed to concentrate on the landing.”

Chloe followed in the footsteps of Milli Karlstrom, daughter of Virgin Balloon Flights chief pilot and CEO Kenneth Karlstrom, who became youngest pilot when she gained her licence in October last year.

Chloe said: “It’s good that I’m a girl. There haven’t been many female pilots and it’s good to be a record breaker,” she said,

“I think I’ll get my commercial licence which means I can fly passengers, but I don’t think I really want it as a job, just as a part-time thing really.”

Chloe is hoping to take part in competitions for pilots under 25 starting next year.

Congratulations to Chloe from everyone at Virgin Balloon Flights!

To book a balloon ride in Shropshire with Lindsay visit the Virgin Balloon Flights website.

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By Alex, July 28, 2011 1:21 pm

A high-flying Kent hot air balloon pilot is celebrating another happy landing – but this time it’s the arrival of a cuddly four-legged new born with a famous name.

When Damon Bridger, from Gillingham, isn’t taking people on champagne balloon rides over Kent for Virgin Balloon Flight, he’s busy with his other unusual occupation; breeding and rearing alpacas. Damon, 50, and partner Clare West bought their first two alpacas two years ago with plans to breed more and sell them or to use their soft fleeces for wool products.

They set up Great Oak Farm Alpacas near Maidstone and now have six of the animals including the recent new addition, a black coloured baby or ‘cria’ which they’ve called Richard, after famous entrepreneur and adventurer Sir Richard Branson.

Damon said: “We’ve decided to call the new ones after famous airborne adventurers and, having been a pilot with Virgin Balloon Flights in Kent for 15 years, Sir Richard was obviously top of the list.

“The new cria was quick to explore his surroundings and seemed naturally inquisitive, so the name was perfect. Two more cria are due soon and we plan to name a girl after American pilot Amelia Earhart.”

Damon, who has flown balloons all over the world and now takes passengers up from Maidstone’s Mote Park, Wadhurst, Headcorn and Sutton Valence, said balancing both jobs was hard work, but meant every day was exciting.

“Nothing can beat the feeling of flying in a hot air balloon, but alpacas are amazing animals and seeing one being born is always a special experience,” Damon said.

A duck, a sheep and a cockerel were on board the first recorded hot air balloon flight in France in 1783, but despite the adventurous alpaca’s name, Damon has no plans to take Richard skywards.

“It’s a funny idea, but I’m not sure what the other passengers would think!” he added.

Visit the Virgin Balloon Flights website for more information or to book a balloon ride in Kent with Damon.

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By Eve, July 25, 2011 4:26 pm

Hello my name is Bailey, Bailey Jones,

For those of you that have already met me out in the ballooning field and for those of you have yet to, I thought you might be interested in learning about my exciting hot air ballooning lifestyle.  Well, why wouldn’t you?

As a rule, I have two types of day depending on whether or not I am chasing the big red thing.  If I’m chasing it, it means getting up very early indeed. Sometimes too early for an old fellow like me (I am 8 but sometimes I feel like I am 12, other times I feel 3; just depends what mood I am in).  I then sit in the back of this big black thing that takes me from one place to another.  Not sure what it is but it is very high off the ground and has comfy seats inside.  To get into it I have to place my two front paws upon the seat and then my human owner very kindly lifts me up.  If only he knew I can do it all by myself he he!

We then arrive at this lovely big field and I can’t wait to jump out of the big black moving thing. I then meet lots of nice humans who pat me and stroke me. Some of them even have dog biscuits with them which is brilliant!  I’m not sure why they have them but I’m not complaining. Once the humans have said hello to me I’m put safely back in the moving thing and I watch them set up this big red thing. Personally, I can’t work it out.  There’s a big flame, the red thing gets big and then the humans jump into a big basket and off they float into the sky.  I just watch, it’s most perplexing.  Once the big red thing is in the sky I jump out and have a good run around the field.

After a while I get back in and off we go again. I watch the fields pass by my window until we stop at another field and the humans who floated off into the sky are all there again. Wow! It’s amazing – how did they get there?

Maybe the big red thing took them all there which sounds pretty exciting to me.  Anyway, if it’s safe to do so I’m allowed out again to stretch my legs and find the lovely humans with the dog biscuits.  Yum! I never forget which ones they are.  Sometimes I sit down and raise my paw, do you know it works every time! Once the humans have packed up the big red thing off we go for breakfast which I love. More treats if I’m lucky.

Then it’s sleep time; dreams of fields and humans giving me biscuits, bliss.  If the big red thing is needed in the sky again later in the day we do everything all over again (but without the breakfast of course).  I sleep very well on those long exciting days but it isn’t long before my human owner soon appears wiping the sleep from his eyes saying “Come on Bailey, here we go again!”. I don’t mind though, it’s so much fun.

The human in charge of the big red thing I have to chase is called Neal, he is always smiling so I guess he must love doing what he does.  To find out more about me and to see more of my hot air ballooning photos from my adventures with Virgin Balloon Flights you can visit my very own Facebook page. I very much look forward to seeing you there, bye bye for now.

   Love Bailey x

PS: Don’t forget the dog biscuits if you come to see me, I’m not fussy with the flavour.

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By Kirsty, July 20, 2011 5:53 pm

On July 18^th, Nelson Mandela celebrated his 93rd birthday! An amazing accomplishment to add to many others in this great man’s life. To honour Mandela; Sir Richard Branson and Virgin Unite encouraged everyone within the Virgin group to take part in Mandela Day 2011 by giving 67 minutes of their time to their local community.

Excited by the scope of what we could do, everyone at Virgin Balloon Flights HQ got to work on planning an even bigger and better celebration than 2010’s Mandela Day.

Thinking caps on, we brainstormed about all the different ways we could give back to our community and here’s what we came up with:

· We baked and sold beautiful cupcakes raising money for local community projects.

· We collected boxes and bags of jumble items including clothes, shoes, toys, books and bric-a-brac and donated to The British Red Cross, Katherine House Hospice and Compton Hospice. We even managed to get Staffordshire based designer dress agency Hush to come on board and donate old stock to our clothes box donations.

· Senior Customer Service Representative Sophie Ellis helped out family member Rachel to take her two young twin boys, who were born prematurely, to a hydrotherapy pool for the afternoon as community swimming pools are too cold for them.

· We litter picked around our office and tidied up the surrounding green spaces helping to keep the area cleaner for people to enjoy.

· We donated soft toys, music cd’s and children’s clothes to a brand new sensory room at local nursery Earlyworld.

· We collected and sent out 18 board games, a PlayStation, a box of PlayStation and computer games and two bags of educational and fictional books to a local after school club for children aged between 4 and 14 years.

· We mowed our neighbours’ lawns and helped out with gardening.

· We volunteered at local community project Sanktuary giving late night clubbers a safe place to wait for taxi’s or friends (and even gave high heel clad feet a rest with free flip-flops!)

· We gave two local students, one at GCSE level and one at A Level, the opportunity to complete a week’s work experience within the customer service and marketing departments at the company HQ.

· Accounts assistant Cheryl helped to organise and complete a day within her church community called ‘Messy Church’ where children enjoyed a fun-filled activity day playing games and eating ice lollies!

· Customer Service Representative Ryan Laing became a fully-fledged Street Pastor and completed his first night about town, helping to battle the issue of homelessness and poverty giving strength and support to those who needed it.

· Staff donated £2 each for a handmade bracelet by 11-year-old cancer sufferer Harry Moseley through his charity Help Harry Help Others – a fantastic inspiration to us all.

· We even got CEO and Chief Pilot Kenneth to help sort out our donations, don’t worry he didn’t really pack away office pooch and company mascot, Cookie the Pomeranian.

Once again all the staff here at Virgin Balloon Flights have thoroughly enjoyed their efforts for Mandela Day this year. We hope that each little bit of help or support has collectively made a positive difference within our community and we take our hats off to the people who work so hard to improve the lives of others all year round.

Here’s to another superb effort for Mandela Day!

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By Kirsty, July 15, 2011 3:14 pm

“ My name is Jarryd and I have just completed a week’s work experience at Virgin Balloon Flights. I am currently a 6^th form student at Thomas Telford School and I am studying English language, Biology, History and ICT. I took this work experience because I was interested in PR and Marketing and I felt that Virgin, which is a reputable global brand, would be a great place gain experience in this field.

During my time here I have been getting a feel for the day-to-day activities within the business and I have learnt about the various packages that are available to customers. I was also set the task of researching the various sites and seeing how the business could link the Virgin Balloon Flights website to those of the 100+ launch sites. I found this interesting as I was able to see just how nice some of the launch sites which the Balloons took off from.

From my time here I can tell that all the people who work here put in 100% to make sure that your experience is the best it can possibly be and do whatever they can to accommodate everyone’s needs. I found this particularly impressive.

If I were to do a flight myself I would personally go for the Celebration Package as it is one of the best packages available and I plan to do this when I have the money. I would love to fly over Telford in the evening to see what it would look like from above. 

Finally, I would like to thank everyone at Virgin Balloon Flights for the help they have given me over the course of this week and I have found the week to be enjoyable and I look forward to booking a flight with them some time soon.”

Jarryd

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By Kirsty, July 14, 2011 3:17 pm

A group of Midlands based footie fans are playing a 12 hour football marathon next month in aid of Acorns Children’s Hospice and Virgin Balloon Flights flew in to give them a helping hand to raise some extra cash for their cause.

Richard Lewis, team manager & event organiser said “Last year myself and 6 others participated in our first 12 hour five-a-side football marathon on behalf of Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice. This involved us playing 12 different teams consecutively; with each opposing team playing only one hour to ensure their legs were fresh. With sponsors help, the event raised in excess of £2,600 for a worthwhile cause which justified our pain and injuries.”

“The setup is the same this year, another 12 five-a-side teams all against us. Only difference is this year we are supporting Acorns Children’s Hospice,” he added.

Hoping to better their fundraising total this year the boys are hard at work getting corporate sponsors to donate things, prize donations for  raffles and of course you can pledge your cash at http://www.VirginMoneyGiving.com/football-marathon2011

Keep your eyes peeled at their fundraising events for Virgin Balloon Flight hot air balloon rides and copies of Sir Richard Branson’s internationally bestselling autobiography ‘Losing My Virginity!’

Give the boys a helping hand to make life better for the children at Acorns through Virgin Money Giving.

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By Kirsty, July 7, 2011 5:17 pm

My name is Lauren, and for the past four days I’ve been enjoying the joys of office life at Virgin Balloon Flights for my work experience. I am a student at Wolverhampton Girls’ High School and currently doing my GCSE’s where I have taken Japanese, Art, PE and Geography. Although I love the options I have taken, I am really interested in TV, media and advertising; therefore, receiving a placement in the Marketing Department of Virgin Balloon Flights has been a fantastic opportunity to get a foot in the door.

In the four days that I have been here, I’ve been kept very busy getting a feel for customer services, short listing the images for Virgin Balloon Flight’s brilliant photo competition, researching various sites for customer feedback, advertising opportunities and getting a general feel for the amount of hard work and dedication that the staff do down here, in order to make your balloon flight an experience of a lifetime.

I have learnt so much in the time that I have been here, including how to write blogs (this is my first one), how the basis of digital marketing works, what Virgin Balloon Flights promote and the ‘fun fun fun’ ethos of the Virgin brand itself. 

Also, whilst researching the 100+  launch sites that Virgin Balloon Flights have around the country, I came across St. Albans in Hertfordshire and Newby Bridge in Lake Windermere that I would love to fly from, particularly Lake Windermere as it has specific sentimental value for me. Unfortunately, due the weather, I wasn’t able to go and see a launch; however, I will definitely embark on an airborne adventure in the near future!

Virgin is a worldwide organisation and is one of the most recognised and respected brands, I feel thoroughly honoured to have been able to work within this company. I’d like to say and HUGE thank you to Eve, Kirsty and the rest of the staff that work at Virgin Balloon Flights for helping me settle in and making my work experience one that I will never forget!

Lauren x

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By Kirsty, July 6, 2011 6:10 pm

This week we went off to see Berrington Hall, one of our lovely Virgin Balloon Flights launch sites, near Leominster in Herefordshire; what a place to fly from!

This stunning neo-classical building designed between 1778 – 81 hosts much more than a pretty Georgian exterior. Steeped in history visitors can delve deep into the past life of Lord Crawley, his butlers and servants that have worked at Berrington Hall in years gone by. In the care of The National Trust since 1957,  this immaculate venue really is the picture perfect spot to start your airborne adventure.

Before, or after, embarking on your Virgin Balloon Flights hot air balloon ride from the grounds of Berrington Hall, you can take a walk around one of Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown’s masterpiece gardens, grab a bite to eat or relax with cake  and coffee in the tea-room, or get some retail therapy in The National Trust gift shop.

With FREE admission to the house for Virgin Balloon Flights passengers on the day of their flight, what more could you want to make a super day out?

Once you have climbed aboard our 16 man balloon basket with Pilot Des Bimson, the wind will take you on a journey you’ll never forget. Aerial views of the elegant property and sweeping sights of the Brecon Beacons will greet you once your balloon is in-flight.

Wind willing, you’ll see the roof tops of Leominster, a historic market town, with  examples of fine architecture throughout the ages. Further south sits Hereford, the famous home of the SAS, which straddles the winding River Wye and has a magnificent 12th century cathedral at its heart.

What are you waiting for? To book simply visit www.virginballoonflights.co.uk or call 01952 212750 to fly from any of our 100+ launch sites in England, Scotland &  Wales or from Berrington Hall.

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By Kirsty, July 5, 2011 10:32 am

33 year old Mani Manota of Leeds, Yorkshire, yesterday popped the all important question to long-term girlfriend Maria,25, at 1200ft above York!

The happy couple who met six years ago whilst working in a bar had both talked about the prospect of marriage but Maria had no idea what Mani had planned.

“I thought about Paris and the Eiffel tower but everyone seemed to have done that and for some reason it seemed too cheesy. I was nervous about the whole thing and having one date cancelled due to weather I was nervous right up until the night before when the message from pilot Dave Sutcliffe said the flight was going ahead, no turning back now!

Maria didn’t know anything about the Balloon ride. I asked her to wear warm but clothes she wouldn’t mind getting dirty, she assumed I was going to take her horse riding or visiting a farm, she had no idea until we turned up at York Racecourse and I pointed out the baskets. Much to my relief she was ecstatic at the prospect of going up in a hot air balloon, a first for us both,” said Mani.

At 1200ft the moment Mani had been waiting for arrived and as Maria turned away he dropped to one knee! Of course, she said yes and they celebrated with a traditional Champagne toast after landing.

“The flight was brilliant, very peaceful up in the air with no engine noise letting just the wind direct us, we had brilliant views over York, we could see for miles.  We both liked the fact we were involved in everything from getting the balloon off the trailer to the inflation and then helping to get it deflated too. The overall experience was brilliant and would recommend it to anyone. I’m glad I chose Virgin.”

Congratulations to you both! The team at Virgin Balloon Flights wish you the very best for your wedding and future life together.

For information regarding hot air balloon ride launch sites and prices simply visit www.virginballoonflights.co.uk or call 01952 212750.