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By Kirsty, April 19, 2011 6:37 pm

Branson duo hit the streets to spur on over 36,000 runners

Sir Richard and Holly Branson made some noise at this year’s London Marathon to create the World’s Biggest Cheer which spurred on thousands of inspiring runners who have all pushed themselves to extreme physical limits for great causes.

After spending a month encouraging the UK to donate their cheers, the father and daughter team hit a giant buzzer which boomed over 10,000 cheers of support into the air causing runners and spectators alike to stop and stare – the nation’s cheers were all collated to create a collective shout-out to the runners and Virgin Balloon Flights are part of it!

Richard and Holly got involved in this year’s Virgin sponsored London Marathon from the sidelines, the ‘Cheering Zone’ was set up at the 19-mile mark after many of last year’s runners identified it as the mile where you are most likely to ‘hit the wall’.

Professional cheerleaders and live bands were also stationed at the ‘Cheering Zone’ to support the runners and excite the crowds.

Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson said:

“This year’s runners have really outdone themselves and should be proud of finishing one of the world’s toughest marathons. Today just reminds me how the Virgin London Marathon makes everyone better off"

Check out the Virgin Balloon Flights cheers here by clicking on the Polaroid photo’s!

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By Kirsty, April 11, 2011 6:16 pm

As part of Virgin Balloon Flights on-going efforts to raise money for Hope House Children’s Hospices through Virgin Unite’s ‘Changing the Course Campaign’, one of our marketing execs Kirsty Mills treated us all to 24 hours of complete silence!

“This is honestly one of the hardest things I have ever had to do! You really don’t realise how much you need to make noise to communicate. Not  everything can be answered with a nod or shake of the head and no one seemed to understand my hand signals.”

“In the end I used a white board and a marker pen, and took it everywhere with me, it even came to the gym, McDonalds and Sainsbury’s!” she added.

Kirsty’s 24 hours of silence and awkward communication through office hours and everyday tasks, bagged the charity just over £400 and a step closer to a £7000 finish.

With still a few days remaining to donate you can help make a difference by visiting virginmoneygiving.com/kirstymills

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By Alex, January 4, 2011 12:41 pm

The unmistakable sight of a Virgin balloon in flight has once again been spotted on television and this time it was floating over Lancashire on BBC 2’s Oz & Hugh Raise the Bar.

The series follows wine expert Oz Clark and comic actor Hugh Dennis as they toured the UK to find the finest independently produced beers, wines and spirits.

One of our hot air balloons appears in the distance high above the Lancashire countryside as the pair sample some wine at the Mount Pleasant Vineyard, at Bolton-le-Sands in Carnforth.

This was in the third episode of the series which was on over Christmas and New Year and can be viewed here on the BBC’s iPlayer. Look out for our balloon around 19 minutes and 11 seconds into the show as it drifts over the vineyard on a hill near Morecambe Bay.

Our hot air balloon in Lancashire is captained by highly-experienced local pilot John Fenton and launches from sites including Burton in Lonsdale, Crook O Lune near Lancaster, Kirkby Lonsdale and Wray. Click here to go ballooning in Lancashire.

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By Kirsty, July 16, 2010 9:36 am

Yorkshire balloon pilot Dave Sutcliffe was bowled over last week as England cricketer Tim Bresnan took to the skies with him, just a day after beating Bangladesh in the one-day series.

Tim Bresnan and Hannah 3000 feet up!

The top Yorkshire and England bowler, 25, bought Virgin Balloon Flight vouchers as a surprise gift for girlfriend Hannah’s birthday.

“We’re both quite adventurous, and I wanted to think of something unusual to celebrate Hannah’s birthday. Neither of us had flown in a hot air balloon before so I bought the tickets and told Hannah the night before the flight,” said Tim, who is originally from Pontefract in West Yorkshire.

“I was quite nervous, but it’s actually very surreal when you’re up there, it’s a weird sensation and we really enjoyed it! We got to see horses, hares, deer and even a windmill,” he added.

Pilot Dave, 43, said: “It took me a while to realise where I knew Tim from, then I realised who he was when completing the passenger safety briefing. It was only the day before I was watching him help win the series against Bangladesh at Edgbaston.”

“All the passengers sang happy birthday to Tim’s girlfriend Hannah at 2,500 feet in the air. It was a great flight topped off with a Champagne toast after landing in Church Fenton.”

After England’s win, Tim will enjoy a week’s break before getting back on the pitch and a Virgin Balloon Flight was the perfect way to start his week off.

More information regarding Virgin Balloon Flights in Yorkshire is available here.

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By Kirsty, July 8, 2010 8:55 am

A Yorkshire balloon pilot got a spectacular first glimpse of this year’s York Maze as he took to the skies with a basket full of passengers who got exclusive snaps of the Battle of Britain inspired attraction.

Martin Collinson, from York, flies for Virgin Balloon Flights and launched from the city’s Racecourse flying east when they drifted over the commemorative maze last week.

Martin, who has been an employment officer for the Territorial Army for 25 years, said: “It is great to see people remembering the armed forces. The design is fantastic and the passengers really enjoyed it.”

The larger than life Spitfire design, which covers an area larger than 15 Wembley football pitches and consists of 1.5 million maize plants, is “a tribute to the servicemen of the country” according to maze owner Tom Pearcy.

“Each year we choose a topical event to motivate our designs and the 70^th anniversary of the Battle of Britain seemed perfectly fitting for 2010,” he added.

Balloon passenger Craig Mitchell, of North Yorkshire, said: “We flew with Virgin for my girlfriend’s birthday and were not expecting to get an exclusive view. We were so impressed with the maze design. Both my Grandparents were in the war, so it’s nice to see people recognising their efforts.”

Pilot Martin,43, flies champagne balloon flights from numerous launch sites in Yorkshire and hopes to thrill many more passengers with the Maze throughout the summer with the attraction open from July 17 until the September 5.

Find out more at www.yorkmaze.com or take a flight with Virgin Balloon Flights at www.virginballoonflights.co.uk

York Maze Spitfire design 2010

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By Kirsty, April 26, 2010 4:36 pm

Since the Icelandic volcano ‘Eyjafjallajokull’ erupted and paralysed air travel for all but hot air balloons, we have soared into the spotlight by keeping our Virgin balloons airborne and lucky passengers happy!

Sadly our planned rescue mission to fly some stranded Brits back over the Channel was thwarted as the wind was in the wrong direction. But, as everything else was grounded, our big red balloons got even more attention than usual. The British media were particularly interested with one of our balloons in Scotland being pictured in the press, our midlands balloon pilot Lindsay Muir  appearing on BBC Radio and ITV jumping onboard to film from the basket too.

The team from ITV Tyne Tees News took to the skies with us last Wednesday from scenic launch site Witton Castle in Bishop Auckland for a bird’s eye view of the North East with pilot Dave ‘Sutty’ Sutcliffe  .

Without an aeroplane or even a vapour trail in sight, reporter Johnny Blair described his balloon ride adventure with Virgin as “calm, tranquil and spectacular.” Whilst passengers of the same flight were “thrilled to fly” after worries the volcanic ash may halt or hinder their experience of a lifetime.

You can watch our north east balloon flight  with ITV Tyne Tees News and see just how green the region is.

Camera-man Sean Reilly films pilot Dave sutcliffe giving passengers a safety briefing on the ground

The ITV camera captures some 'spectacular' view's from the basket!

Although it has been lovely to have the skies to ourselves, thankfully the volcanic ash is now dispersing, its column inches diminishing and travellers are finally returning to their homes and families. We’re particularly pleased to see the planes of our friends at Virgin Atlantic back in the air. We wish everyone who is still stranded abroad a safe and speedy trip home soon.