HOW DOES A BALLOON LAUNCH WORK?

Pupils, staff and friends of the school sell Balloon Race Labels. These are stamped with the name and address of your school. The buyer will write his/her name in the appropriate place on the label.

On the day of the event the labels are attached to helium filled balloons which are then released from the balloon net.

Each balloon label has a request that the finder should post it back to the school.

Prizes are given to those people whose balloon labels are returned from furthest away (many labels have been returned from as far away as Greece, Southern Germany and Northern Scotland).

WHY CHOOSE balloon.co.uk?

Having decided to organise a Balloon Race you will want to be certain you are going to get the instant support and advice you need as well as excellent value for money.

balloon.co.uk offers a Balloon Hotline which you are free to call at any time. You can talk to experts who have both organised balloon releases in schools and have vast experience in balloon launches of all kinds. We can also provide the balloon net and other necessary materials.

Proven ideas and practical advice are both just a phone call away!

We are confident that our prices are the lowest around. Our all-inclusive price includes:

Race labels, balloons and a balloon net sent to you at least 3 weeks prior to your race.

Helium gas delivered immediately before the event and the cylinder collected immediately afterwards.

Advice whenever you require it.

Finally you can be certain all products supplied by balloon.co.uk are environmentally friendly. Our balloons are made from natural latex and are as such biodegradable. Helium gas is non-poisonous, non-toxic and non flammable - it's totally safe to use.

THE ORGANISATION OF YOUR BALLOON RELEASE

IN THE WEEKS LEADING UP TO THE EVENT SET TARGETS
Set a target for the number of tickets you want to sell. Be positive and publicise your aims. Update the number sold on a regular basis on a Public Board where pupils can see the results of their efforts. Use assemblies, news letters etc. to keep everyone informed on progress.

SELL TICKETS EARLY
You should aim to sell most tickets (at least 95%) before the day. Your school's name and address should be clearly marked on the blank side using an address stamp and indelible ink, or an address label produced on a laser printer. If it is wet on the day of your balloon race and the address is removed by rain no tickets will be returned.

Race Labels

Click to see an example of our standard race labels

HAVE AN EXCELLENT 1st PRIZE
A colour TV or large cash sum will attract people to buy tickets for the balloon race. This is a worthwhile and necessary investment. If the main prize does not excite, ticket sales may be slow. Perhaps a local car dealer or shopkeeper may be prepared to sponsor you.

GIVE A PRIZE TO THE MOST SUCCESSFUL SELLER OF TICKETS
A cash prize to the most successful seller will increase sales enormously. A figure of £20 will easily be recouped if only 10 to 12 pupils become competitive. You will be amazed by how many ticket sales this will produce.

CONTACT YOUR LOCAL PRESS
This needs to be done maybe two weeks ahead of the balloon race to allow for their planning. A reminder a few days ahead of your balloon race is advisable - remember to give exact time of release from the ballon net, as well as date and location.

CONTACT THE CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY
For release of 1000 balloons and over you will need permission from the C.A.A. balloon.co.uk will send you the relevant form if you need to apply. The C.A.A. has never, in our experience, refused permission for a balloon release.

THINK ABOUT THE ACTUAL RELEASE
Think about how you are going to release your balloons. If you are involved in a large release you may want to use a net (contact balloon.co.uk for details). Otherwise you can easily arrange for pupils to hold balloons and release them from the balloon net after an exciting countdown. Inflated balloons can be stored in a nearby room (a low ceiling if possible!).

ORGANISE TEAMS AND PRACTICE INFLATION
You should organise teams who will inflate your balloons on the day of the balloon launch. These teams need to practise. Three people in a team is ideal. No.1 inflates the balloon and passes it to No.2 who ties a knot in the neck. No.3 puts the label over the neck. For a larger balloon launch use teams of 5. The person inflating the balloons will work more quickly than those tying balloons or fixing labels. Your team of 5 would therefore work as follows:- No.1 inflates and passes to Nos.2 and 3 who tie the balloon. They in turn pass to a label fixer - Nos.4 and 5. Always have an authoritative adult in each team.

ON THE DAY OF THE RELEASE INFLATION OF YOUR BALLOONS

See our step by step picture of how to di it - here.

Expect your teams of three to be able to inflate between 150-200 balloons in an hour. Teams of 5 can inflate up to 300 in an hour. Work backwards to reach a time when you start inflation. Allow about an hour between your expected finish time and the release time. Do not start too early and NEVER BLOW UP BALLOONS ON THE DAY BEFORE THE BALLOON RELEASE. Helium filled balloons always lose gas. They will stay inflated for at least 15 hours at ground level and much longer at a higher altitude where it is cooler. This is ample time for a long journey once airborne. However your balloons need to contain as much gas as possible on release so time your inflation accurately. Do not, however overfill your balloons or you will experience difficulty in tying them. Aim to put gas into the balloon until it begins to go pear-shaped. Your teams should practice this on a few balloons before the day of the release. If it is wet on the day of the release it is important that you try to keep your labels dry. Wet labels are heavy and may stop your balloons from flying satisfactorily.

NETS
You will be aware that our prices do not include the cost of a balloon net. For smaller events it is possible to organise your balloon release without the use of a balloon net although it is usually more successful to use one. For larger balloon launches it is vital that if you are not going to use a balloon net you plan very carefully how you are going to store your balloons once they are inflated and how you are going to release them.

If you are considering purchasing a net from us for your balloon release please contact me without delay.

REMEMBER NEVER USE STRING OR RIBBON DURING YOUR RELEASE PREPARATION.

Once a balloon is inflated a knot should be tied in the neck of the balloon. The neck of the balloon is then pushed through the hole in the label. The label sits securely between the knot and the raised end of the balloon neck. It is perfectly secure and the whole process is environmentally friendly. You should not use string, wool, or ribbon to tie the balloon or to tie the label to the balloon.

Pull the bead of the balloon (the ring) though the hole in the race label.

TIME YOUR INFLATION. Plan carefully the time to start your inflation. Never inflate your balloons on the day before the release as most of the gas will have escaped and your balloons will not fly. Allow 1 hour between your release time and the expected end of your inflation. Find your start time by working back at about 150 inflated balloons per hour. EXAMPLE To release 400 balloons at 4.OOpm. Aim to finish inflating balloons at 3.OOpm. Allow 2hrs 45mins. to inflate 400 balloons so start your inflation at about 12.15pm . If you have two cylinders you need less time as two teams can work simultaneously.

CHOOSE YOUR RELEASE POINT CAREFULLY . Release one or two balloons (without labels) from the balloon net a few minutes before your main release to check wind direction. Position your balloon release so that the balloons can travel the maximum distance before meeting trees or buildings. This will enable the balloons to pass over these obstructions.

A few balloons will burst or not fly on release - this is normal. You will have spare balloons and if you have not over inflated your balloons you will have plenty of gas over. Carefully remove the labels from any balloons that remain on the ground and attach them to new balloons and release individually - it is a distance race so this will not matter.

If it is wet, try to keep your labels dry for as long as possible as wet labels will be heavy and will make your balloon launch more difficult.

In the week prior to the balloon release or balloon launch, remember to mark the sold labels to be released from the balloon net with the return address using indelible ink or printed labels using a laser printer. Some schools have forgotten to do this and obviously none of the labels from any of their balloons have been returned to them.

Testimonial - 25th November 2009

Just a quick email to say the balloons arrived on time and we managed to successfully inflate 148 only 2 burst and we didn't loose any! The weather turned out to be fantastic with clear blue sky. The balloons went straight off and the children went wild with excitement. There was special cheering for the 1 balloon that got stuck in the net and then left on its own! The staff and guests absolutely loved it and it really was the highlight of the event. The children have already started asking when we can have another one. Thank you so much for your helpful tips and prompt service.

You can buy your DIY balloon release online here