Hunt on for red balloons (From Evesham Journal)
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Hunt on for red balloons
2:00pm Saturday 9th March 2013 in News
LAUNCH: Staff at the Dormy House near Broadway about to release the 99 red balloons.
THE race is on for one lucky couple to win a free romantic break at a top Cotswold hotel after a colourful Valentine’s giveaway.
Ninety-nine red balloons were released from the Dormy House Hotel, near Broadway, last month and everyone who finds a balloon and returns the attached card will go into the draw to win dinner, bed and breakfast for two.
So far tags have been returned from as far away as Surrey.
The winner will be announced when the hotel, which is closing next month for a £10 million renovation, re-opens in August.
David Field, general manager, said: “We look forward to seeing how far our balloons travel and also to welcoming the lucky winner, who will be among the first to stay in our new-look hotel.”
For more information, visit dormyhouse.co.uk or call 01386 852711.
AndyMabbett says...
6:09pm Mon 11 Mar 13
http://birdguides.co
m/webzine/article.as
p?a=1490
Even biodegradable balloons can last - and do harm - for a year or more.
Organisations who oppose balloon releases include the Marine Conservation Society, the RSPB, the RSPCA, the National Farmers' Union, the Shark Trust, the Tidy Britain Group, Keep Scotland Beautiful, Scottish Natural Heritage, Tidy Wales, Tidy Northern Ireland, Clean Cornwall, county bird clubs, various Wildlife Trusts, the Bumblebee Trust, The Soil Association, The Waterways Trust several local councils and others.
Organisations who ask their staff and supporters not to do them include The British Legion, The Terence Higgins Trust, The Alzheimer's Society, and more, plus companies including Sainsbury's, Aviva, TGI Fridays, M&S and Barclays. The Guinness Book of World Records no longer recognize balloon release records "precisely because of environmental concerns".
In this case, the PR organisation that organised the release have undertaken not not do them again, and have undertaken to make a donation to the Marine Conservation Society.
It's time that newspapers started to report the harm done by balloon release litter, rather than regurgitating promotional puff about how fabulous they supposedly are.