After his entry travels from Green Days Festival to Gloucestershire
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3-year-old Jack Averre gives a big grin after being told his balloon has won the first-ever Bushells Big Balloon Race, as part of Chiswick's annual Bedford Park Festival sponsored by the Turnham Green Terrace branch of local estate agent, Bushells.
The balloon was bought for Jack by his parents Kate and David at the Green Days fete in June for the race opened by the ITV presenter Mary Nightingale.
He wins the prize of £30 for the balloon which travelled the furthest. Its ticket was returned from Tetbury in Gloucestershire, a distance of around 85 miles as the crow (or balloon) flies.
45 tickets were returned by the closing date of July 11th - a month after the last of around 500 balloons were released.
"We're surprised and delighted by the number of people who took the trouble to return the tickets" says Tim Dalby-Quenet, the manager of Bushells at Turnham Green Terrace. "And we're glad the race gave people so much fun while raising money for some very good causes."
The race raised more than £1,000 for the Festival charities - Unicef's 'Unite for Children Against AIDS' campaign; the Upper Room, feeding the community in need in west London; and the repainting of St Michael & Angels Church, Bedford Park.
The Festival co-ordinator Torin Douglas said: "This was the Festival's first Balloon Race and we're very grateful to Bushells for helping make it such a success. For many years they've sponsored the Junior Football Tournament on Green Days and it's very generous of them to have added this new event. We hope it will become another regular highlight of the Festival."
July 19, 2007