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By Jade, December 20, 2012 5:50 pm

January

Following their acquisition of Northern Rock, Virgin Money launched their brilliant new advert, ‘40 Years of Better’, marking the start of their ‘quest to make banking better.’ We featured alongside Virgin Records, Virgin Galactic, Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Trains as the commercial celebrates the rich history of the Virgin brand. Take a look back and view the TV ad on Youtube here.

February

Adam Fleetwood accepted the challenge to represent Virgin Balloon Flights and complete the Virgin Marathon, all in aid of Birmingham Children’s Hospital. Adam put together a short movie to win the Virgin votes, which you can watch on YouTube here.

Every year the British Heart Foundation has a National Wear Red Day and as always, staff here donned their best red clobber and ate beautiful heart covered cupcakes.

March

Our Virgin London Marathon runner Adam Fleetwood completed the ‘Adidas Silverstone Half Marathon’ as part of his training and his fundraising for Birmingham Children’s Hospital reached over the £2000 mark.

April

The villagers of Wray celebrated  their Silver Jubilee of their annual country fair. Visitors flocked from far and wide to wander round the picturesque Lancashire village of Wray and enjoy the scarecrows which take over each spring. We donated a champagne balloon flight for two as the winners prize for the best scarecrow competition which saw a range of traditional designs, topical creations, some ingenious moving masterpieces and with the Olympics on its way, Olympic-themed scarecrows.

May

We had the first proposal of 2012 when Karl Dalgarno popped the question to partner Lucy Jenkins, 3000ft up in the air.

June

With our 2012 flying season well under way, we officially introduced our new pilots Bart D’Hooge, Chris Oxby, Peter Philpot and Russell Collins.

July

Here at Virgin Balloon flights we teamed up with Daffodil Waves Photography to offer one loved-up couple the chance to win a photo shoot in skies on board one of our balloons. The photoshoot took place on a lovely June evening.

August

August was a time for some brilliant summer events. We celebrated the Great British summer at Bristol International Balloon Fiesta with our record breaking  tea party in the sky (highest open-air airborne tea party). We served sandwiches and cream cakes to our competition winners on china crockery and they enjoyed Twinings tea and English sparkling wine as they floated along, while classical string music played in the bunting-clad basket.

We also had first visit to V Festival at Hylands Park in Essex where we tethered a balloon at the weekend and what a scorcher it was! We provided some additional entertainment for the crowd who could see our balloon from the main stage, bobbing away to music from the likes of Tom Jones and Snow Patrol.

September

A huge achievement for our pilot Lindsay Muir who won the 2nd FAI European Women’s Hot Air Balloon Championship. Congratulations again Lindsay!

Meanwhile, at our Head Office, we took part in the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning in support of Macmillan Cancer Support.

October

Operations technician, Roger Vint was selected as our ‘Star of the Year’ and celebrated in style at Holly and Sam Branson’s house, alongside Sir Richard himself! Meanwhile, back at Head Office, we all got pretty in pink as part of the Breast Cancer Campaign ‘wear it pink’ day.

November

Martin Chamberlain joined us for an airborne adventure from Wadhurst, Kent, and having won the hot air balloon ride over Kent through a photographic competition (sponsored by Canon), it’s no wonder he captured some amazing shots of the views below the basket.

December

Nicola from Daffodil Waves photography was the judge for our pilot and crew photo competition and our passenger photo competition.  Neil Marshall was chosen as the winner of our pilot and crew photo competition. Here is the winning snapshot:

The winner of our passenger competition was Kate Williams with this misty photo:

Thanks to all of our pilots, crew, staff, customers, launch sites and partners for a fantastic year.

Merry Christmas and we’re looking forward to a brilliant 2013!

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By Jade, December 19, 2012 4:54 pm

We are pleased to announce the winner of our 2012 photo competition. This year we’ve had some amazing entries and it’s been extremely difficult to choose the best. Our judge, photographer Nicola Ferguson from Daffodil Waves Photography, used her professional eye to select three very deserving winners.

In third place is Martin Chamberlain. Nicola said: ‘I would hang this picture on my wall. There’s something very haunting about it but in a good way.

In second place is, Gemma Evans. Nicola chose this because she ‘loves the bright colours and the composition.’

And the winner is…

Congratulations Kate Williams! Nicola said: ‘This image makes me want to dream. I love the relaxing feeling it gives.’

All winners will be contacted via facebook, twitter or e-mail depending on how you submitted your entry. Runners up will receive a £50 Virgin Experience Days gift card and the winner will receive £100 Virgin Experience Days gift card.

Congratulations to all three winners and a big thank for all of your entries. We’ve enjoyed every bit of this season and we look forward to doing it all again next year!

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By Jade, December 13, 2012 4:21 pm

This year as well as holding our annual photo competition for passengers and members of public soon to be judged, our pilots and crew have been sending us their snaps too. Nicola Ferguson from Daffodil Waves Photography kindly judged the entries and chose the final winner, but first here is a look at some of the fantastic runners up…

And the winner is…

By crew member Neil Marshall: ‘Sunrise flight from Witton Castle, County Durham’.

Nicola chose this brilliant snap because of the unusual light and retro feel of the photo. A big well done to Neil for your winning snapshot!

Thanks to all the Virgin Balloon Flights pilots and crew for sending us your photos, they are all brilliant. Thanks also for your hard work this year – looking forward to the next!

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By Jade, December 12, 2012 2:04 pm

This year, Richard Branson is encouraging the world to wear and share their Christmas jumpers – especially if they’re so bad they’re good. During December, he has shared some of his past Christmas clothing  through his blog and Tumblr page. Globally, all Virgin companies will be getting in the spirit and sharing photographs of their crazy knitwear.

This Friday is our turn at Virgin Balloon Flights and we’re looking for some of the most outrageous jumpers in town. Its not just the staff in our office joining in, our pilots and crew members will be jumping into their quirky knitwear and sending us snaps from all over the country. We’ll be sharing all our photos with you on our Facebook and Twitter page as well as the official Xmas Jumper tumblr page.

You too can all join in from home, work or wherever you are! All you have to do is tweet @richardbranson with the hastag #XmasJumpers. You could even be in with a chance of winning one of Richard Branson’s very own jumpers from the past (photo above)! Richard himself will select a winner on Tuesday 18th December, so come on and join in the fun!

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By Jade, December 5, 2012 3:10 pm

Christmas is now upon us and if you still haven’t thought of the perfect gift to show your loved ones how much you care, let us help you! A balloon ride is an amazing way to show your appreciation, whether its your other half, parents, brother, sister or even a special friend.

Flying in a hot air balloon is an extraordinary experience; both serene and thrilling, offering stunning views and a feeling of freedom. With the wind as your only guidance, it is a true adventure as you never know exactly where you’ll fly or what you’ll see. Making it easy for you to arrange, balloon flights are flexible in when and where they can be taken. Here at Virgin we operate the largest fleet of hot air balloons in the UK, flying seven days a week from over 100 launch sites in England, Scotland and Wales – giving you even more choice.

There are even more bonuses:

• You can organise it online in minutes so there’s no fight against the bustle of Christmas shoppers.
• All of our deliveries are FREE and sent first class.  We offer next day delivery (last order for Christmas 20th )
• Left it until last minute? We can send you an e-ticket that you will receive immediately, ensuring there won’t be any disappointment.

You can give the magical balloon ride itself or if you really want to spoil your loved one, add champagne, chocolates or our special hamper, prices starting from just £4. This Christmas we’re also offering special gift packages for one or two people that include your flight voucher and various extra gifts. You can choose from the Sunrise Christmas package, the Christmas gift package or the Luxury Christmas gift package – visit our website for more information.

For as little as £89, give them a unique experience they’ll be talking about for years to come!

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By Jade, November 19, 2012 1:40 pm

With Christmas on the horizon, the gift of a balloon flight is the perfect way to show your loved ones how much you care. Why not make it really special this Christmas by adding our new luxury gift extras.

Choose the perfect way to deliver your Christmas gift with our ‘Merry Christmas’ balloon in a box. When opened, the red helium balloon will pop out and rise towards the sky to reveal the stylish flight voucher at the bottom of the box.

If you’re looking to indulge this Christmas, our traditional wicker sparkling and chocolates gift hamper is the perfect treat alongside your airborne adventure. The hamper includes a half bottle of the crisp, fruity Mont Marcal Brut Cava and a box of delicious milk chocolate champagne truffles. The Cava from our friends at Virgin Wines – the same as served in Virgin Atlantic’s First Class Lounges – offers pale yellow bubbles and a fruity base of ripe apples, banana, and pineapple; a balanced and elegant choice, the best way to wash down your chocolate truffles.

Don’t forget, we offer FREE delivery on everything plus express delivery option for just £6.

So, choose a Virgin Balloon Flight as your top Christmas gift this year from just £89 per person and give it an extra bit of sparkle.

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By Jade, November 12, 2012 1:49 pm

Martin Chamberlain joined us for an airborne adventure from  Wadhurst, Kent, and having won the hot air balloon ride over Kent through a photographic competition (sponsored by Canon), it’s no wonder he captured some amazing shots of the views below the basket.

Martin told us about his flight:

We passed over Hever Castle and we also got a good view of the mist over Bewel Water – the largest lake in Kent. For me, the most interesting thing was seeing the mist sitting in the low lying areas and the sun casting long long shadows onto the mist. As a keen photographer, it was also fascinating to get a unique perspective on everyday objects like the horses in the photos which are only distinguishable by their shadows; or the tree viewed from directly above.

We asked Martin if he would like to fly again and he told us,

I would do another flight, but I’d also like to take my wife and son so that they can get the same experience. I thought long and hard about which would be the best location in the UK to do the flight from, but in the end, I went with the closest location to my house. I would definitely do a morning flight again, despite the time I had to get up, and the freezing cold motorbike journey I had down into Kent, it was well worth it for the early morning misty views.

Martin praised pilot Damon Bridger and his crew:

They were very professional, very experienced and very obliging. When I said ‘Could you just turn the balloon around please so I can get a photo of ……!’, he was able to do so. I was absolutely amazed with the landing spot he picked; after flying over miles of open countryside we landed perfectly in a park in the town of Edenbridge. The recovery vehicle turned up a minute later!

If you want to experience a balloon ride over Kent, you can climb on board with us now for as little as £89 or you choose from the other  100 + launch sites across the UK. Simply visit our website or call us in the office on 0844 844 8080.

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By Jade, November 5, 2012 7:01 pm

Calling all happy snappers! Each hot air ballooning season (March-November) here at Virgin Balloon Flights we hold a photo competition for passengers and members of the public who capture our balloons in all their beauty.

This year the winner of the best photo prize will receive a £100 Virgin Experience Days gift card but you’ll have to be quick as the closing date for entries is November 30th.

To see the winning photos from our 2011 Photo Competition please visit here: 2011 Annual Photo Competition Winners.

Here are some of the fantastic entries we’ve received so far.

How do I enter?

To enter, simply share your memorable moments on Facebook by uploading your files to our Wall. Alternatively you could share your images on Twitter (you must include @VirginBalloons so that we can see your tweet) or your preferred online image uploader or via email(marketing@virginballoonflights.co.uk). Good luck!

View terms & conditions here

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By Jade, November 2, 2012 6:07 pm

This year’s Virgin ‘Stars of the Year’ event brought together 31 brilliant individuals from different Virgin companies across the globe to celebrate their hard work and outstanding achievements. We caught up with our ‘Star of the Year’, operations technician Roger Vint, to get some more inside details of what went on at one of the best Virgin events of the year.

Roger went to the evening – held at Sam and Holly Branson’s house – with his wife Sue. He told us:

When I found out I had been voted a ‘Star of the Year’, I was somewhat suprised and a little shocked but once over the initial suprise, I was delighted and extremely excited.

We didn’t see much of the house but the grounds were very remote and lovely. On arrival, we were greeted with some fancy cocktails, a few minutes later Richard opened up the conservatory (his words!) big enough to hold 150 people. The decoration was first-class, all very glamorous and elegant but still with a homely feel as there was a lit log fire – it was lovely!

We spoke to a lot of people throughout the night; fellow guests and even some Virgin Directors who were all very attentive, all going out of their way to look after us.  Three directors in particular spent considerable time with us; Matt, the HR Director of Virgin Money, Matthew Donaghy, HR Director of Virgin Trains and the CEO of Virgin Group. When we met Richard himself, he was very relaxed and chatty.

We all sat down for dinner and the food was amazing, we enjoyed  Beef Wellington and Salmon baked in Salt. We then had the speeches presented by Richard and his daughter Holly along with other senior Virgin group members. After that, we all had photos with Richard before the Disco began. It was a great evening. All in all, a once in a lifetime experience.

Sounds like it was a brilliant evening for everyone. Congratulations Roger and all the Stars of the Year!