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By Eve, December 6, 2011 11:30 am

We’ve had so many amazing, beautiful and inspirational images shared with us this year that the competition is really tough – so we need your help in deciding who the winners should be!

Below is a small selection of gorgeous images.

There are four categories, the winning entry in each category wins a runner-up prize and the overall winner wins a fantastic Virgin Experience Days Gift Card for £100!

Some of the fantastic entries…

1-6 So Nice Up There

1-1 Perfect Reflection

2-2 Inside the Balloon

If you are flying with us next year then don’t forget to share your photos with us.

 

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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, April 28, 2011 5:01 pm

Kathlyn Cracknell of Halstead Essex took to the skies with pilot Chris Wood last week and became the oldest passenger to ever fly in his balloon.

“I can’t ever remember flying anyone of that age. Kathlyn thoroughly enjoyed the flight and it was great to have her on-board” said Chris.

Kathlyn and her friend Brenda, who she has lived with for the past seven years brought the balloon flight vouchers to celebrate Kathlyn’s birthday last year and got in the air at the beginning of 2011’s flight season.

When asking Brenda what Kathlyn enjoyed about the flight, she said “All of it! She was happy to gaze down on her beloved England and feel the serenity of it all. She was delighted by the sights she saw: the patchwork of fields, the roads, cars, people and animals. She saw a train, a light aircraft landing, and was particularly pleased to see a herd of deer. Kathy’s sense of humour came to the fore when she claimed to have seen her bloomers hanging on the line as we passed over Halstead.”

‘Honoured’ to be Chris’ oldest passenger Kathlyn swears her longevity is down to ‘pure thoughts’ and is  making plans to fly with us again when she reaches one hundred.

Welcome to our hall of fame Kathlyn!

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By Kirsty, March 21, 2011 4:28 pm

Youngsters Niamh Rhodes (L) and Grace Kerr (R) were delighted when our Yorkshire pilot Martin Collinson landed his balloon in one of the Rhodes family’s fields on Friday evening. The flight which took off from York Racecourse blissfully floated for around an hour before coming down to land to the delight of the girls.

The 120ft balloon envelope was welcomed down by the pair who were enjoying fundraising for Comic Relief wearing red clothes and supporting painted cheeks in aid of Red Nose Day.

“The girls were very excited and loved watching the balloon land. They simply loved the balloon and have talked about nothing else but going up in one one day and watching its impressive landing ever since. The balloon landed perfectly and the girls thought it was fabulous,” said Niamh’s Mum and field owner Jenny Rhodes.

On their efforts for red nose day Jenny added “The girls feel sad for the children and families in Africa and understand the need to raise money to help them. They understand and worry about the mosquitos in particular and are very aware of raising money for special medicine and mosquito nets.”

Well done for fundraising girls, we hope to see you in the sky in the future!

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By Eve, January 16, 2011 11:10 am

We believe in freedom of expression which is why we regularly seek feedback from our customers about our balloon rides.

If we don’t know what’s broken, we won’t know it needs fixing. So, we like to get your thoughts on how we can improve our website when buying a balloon ride voucher.  We also like to know what you think of your hot air balloon ride with us and your pilot.

As most of our balloon rides are bought as gifts for birthdays, presents, anniversaries etc it’s not always the person that pays that gets to experience the wonderful world of ballooning, so it’s good to get a different perspective.

To say thank you for helping us out each flying season we randomly pick someone who has taken the time to complete one of our surveys (which are emailed out weekly) and send them a lovely case of wine from Virgin Wines worth over £100, and as the flying season ends around November, this tasty treat arrives just in time for Christmas.

Win a great mixed case of Virgin Wine

The lucky winner last season was Kevin Eaton from Ratby in Leicestershire. Kevin was over the moon as he said it was the first time he’d ever won anything.

Well done Kevin!

Thanks to you and everyone who shared their opinions with us last year.

Visit our website to buy a balloon ride voucher from just £89!

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By Eve, October 15, 2010 6:08 pm

As we draw close to the end of our flying season for 2010 our hot air balloon flyers can often be treated to a wonderful autumnal balloon ride, as Philip Rose of Batley, Yorkshire, found out on Monday this week.

The weather wasn’t on the side of our morning flyers but by the afternoon flying conditions had improved to allow for a truly amazing flight above the historic city of York. In fact, 2 of our balloons were up simultaneously allowing the York Racecourse flyers to see the flyers scheduled from Ripley Castle from their airborne basket.

View Full Album

Philip Rose and his fellow passengers were treated to wonderful views of the clouds, with the sun bursting into light and cloud tops resembling ice fields.

Philip’s two daughters purchased the ballooning experience for their Dad the previous Christmas as it was something he had never done before. After 4 previous attempts to get airborne with us Philip was successful this time around and agreed that it really was an experience well worth waiting for.

When asked what his favourite part of the flight was Philip said:

“When you’re up there and no one is talking and the burners are off it is so serene and peaceful.”

It certainly looks it from his amazing pictures which we discovered after he posted a link to his album on our Facebook page.

To get an amazing Christmas gift with a difference starting from just £99 take a look at our range of vouchers or give our customer service team a call on 01952 212750.

See you in the sky!

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By Kirsty, September 16, 2010 4:59 pm

Some would say it is far too early to be thinking about the dreaded ‘C’ word just yet, but with  advent calendars lining the shelves of our favourite local supermarkets, here at Virgin Balloon Flights we simply can’t help but feel a little bit of festive cheer!

Our hot air balloon rides are the perfect Christmas gift for that someone special and much better than socks or a tie (or so we think!). With launch sites in over 100 locations throughout England, Scotland and Wales, an airborne adventure is no further than a stone’s throw away from your home and an enchanting experience of a lifetime.

We have lots for you to choose from including regional vouchers to fly in specific areas allowing you to see a county of your choice like never before, or gift package flights including items such as Sir Richard Branson’s autobiography or an Italian made, engraved, crystal Champagne flute.

This adventurous Virgin Balloon Flights Christmas gift for him or for her includes a three to four hour experience with around an hour in the air in an iconic red Virgin Balloon. Your experience will commence with passenger greeting, registration and pilot safety briefing before you are invited to help with inflation of the balloon in preparation for lift off.

You will then glide in the sky for around an hour before landing and reflecting on your flight with a glass of Champagne. You will also receive a personalised certificate signed by your pilot and endorsed by Sir Richard himself. What’s more, your voucher has 12 months validity and arrives in a luxury voucher wallet with souvenir brochure. What more could they ask for.

Christmas lists at the ready; we’ll see you in the sky!

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By Kirsty, March 9, 2010 4:25 pm

And they’re off…The Virgin Balloon Flights flying season began on the 1st of March and we are revving up the burners to give excited passengers the experience of a lifetime until late October (flying season may vary in some areas).

Flying from over one hundred wonderful launch sites in England, Scotland and Wales, our pilots are keen to keep the sunshine out for both morning and evening flights no less than 7 days a week.

Want to buy a ticket as a gift? No problem; although the flying season runs from March – October, every lovely ticket has a 12 month validity period, just make sure the recipient gives our Telford based call centre a buzz within 3 months of the ticket start date of this gorgeous gift. Or, simply log on to our ‘book a flight’ page online.