Click HERE to enter our 21st Birthday Pilot Mascot Naming Competition for your chance to win a luxury Virgin Balloon Flights gift hamper worth £165.
Prize includes:
- 37.5ml bottle of Prosecco
- 37.5ml bottle of Cava
- Two champagne flutes
- Chocolates
- Virgin Balloon Flight’s ‘Charlie’ teddy bear
- Voyager Pack with binoculars, baseball cap, pen and shoulder bag
- Keyring with bottle opener
- ‘The Virgin Way’ book by Sir Richard Branson
- Sir Richard Branson’s autobiography ‘Losing My Virginity’
- … plus lots of other goodies!
We might have mentioned this once or twice already but did you know Virgin Balloon Flights turns 21 this year?
When we sat down and tried to work it out, we estimate that we’ve taken almost ONE MILLION happy passengers up, up, and away since our company was founded in 1994.
Now that is something worth celebrating in itself.
Over the years, we have grown to become the biggest commercial hot air balloon rides company in the UK and remain the only one to have national coverage, with more than 100 lovely launch sites across the country.
But while we might have officially reached adulthood, by no means do we plan on leaving the fun of our youth behind!
So the first thing we did to mark this momentous milestone was ask an 18-year-old Shropshire student to design us a brand new pilot mascot.
And the lovely Joey McAleese did a fantastic job, as you can see for yourselves below!
Joey McAleese, who designed our fantastic new pilot mascot, is presented with a hot air balloon ride for two by our Head of Marketing Matt Jones as a thank you for all her hard work.
Our new pilot is 21, he’s rather handsome and he’s already proving to be a hit with customers and Virgin Balloon Flights staff alike.
However, there is just one problem – our new pilot still needs a name.
And that’s where you, our lovely followers, come in.
We’ve launched a competition on our Facebook page to name our new mascot, giving you the chance to win a bespoke Virgin Balloon Flights gift hamper containing, among other goodies, Prosecco, champagne flutes, chocolate truffles, our Voyager Pack complete with binoculars, cap and shoulder bag, the Virgin Balloon Flights Charlie bear cuddly toy and a hardback copy of Sir Richard Branson’s inspirational book ‘The Virgin Way’.
All you need to do is write your suggested name in the comments of our Facebook competition post to enter. (Please do not enter your suggestions in the comments section of this blog as they will not be counted!)
The winner will be chosen on Tuesday 1st September and announced on our Facebook page that same day.
So get your thinking caps on and good luck!
Competition Terms and Conditions
1. The Promoter of this competition is Virgin Balloon Flights. The Promoter's principal place of business is at Jesson House, Stafford Court, Telford, Shropshire, TF3 3BD.
2. All entrants must qualify at the date of entry (in that they must be eligible in accordance with these Terms and any other terms and conditions imposed by the promoter in relation to each individual Competition) and be resident in the UK.
3. The eligibility of any entrant is at the sole discretion of the Promoter. Employees, families, or agents of the Promoter and/or any of its group undertakings are not eligible to enter the competition.
4. Only one entry per person is permitted.
5. All entrants must be 18 years of age or older at the time of entry.
6. This competition starts on Thursday 20th August at 12 pm and ends on Tuesday 1st September at 12 pm. Any entries submitted after the competition has ended will not be counted.
7. By entering the competition, you hereby warrant that all information submitted by you is true, current, and complete.
8. All entries must include all details requested by Virgin Balloon Flights and be submitted in accordance with these terms and any other terms of entry detailed by the Promoter, including, without limitation, submission within the requisite time frame.
9. The decision of the Promoter as to who has been awarded a prize is final and no correspondence will be entered into. The Promoter may at its sole discretion, substitute any prize for a prize of a similar nature and/or comparable value. Winners may not request and are not entitled to a cash alternative to their prize and their prize is non-refundable and non-transferable.
10. In the event that more than one competition entrant enters the pilot name that the judging team selects, Virgin Balloon Flights will refer to the first entrant who suggested the particular name.
11. The Promoter accepts no responsibility or liability for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft, destruction, alteration of, or unauthorised access to entries, or entries lost, incomplete or delayed whether or not arising during operation or transmission as a result of server failures, virus, bugs or other causes outside its control. All lost, damaged, or incomplete entries will be deemed invalid. Proof of entry shall not be proof of delivery or receipt.
12. Only entries received in accordance with these terms and all other terms and conditions will be acceptable. The Promoter will not be liable if a prize cannot be taken by a winner for any reason beyond the control of the Promoter.
13. Return of prize notification as undeliverable or failure to respond to a prize notification within 7 days will result in disqualification and an alternate winner may be selected at the Promoter's discretion. In the event that a winner declines his or her prize, the Promoter may elect, at its own discretion, to select an alternate winner.
14. The winner may be required to participate in publicity surrounding this promotion and consents to his/her name, locations, and photographs being published for the purposes of any individual Competition and promoting the Promoter and its business.
15. By entering this competition you are agreeing to Virgin Balloon Flights storing and using your information for marketing purposes.
16. The terms and conditions of any third-party supplier may apply and must be accepted and complied with by the winner. The winner also acknowledges that the prize will not comprise any further or additional components including, by way of example only, the provision of insurance or spending money for a prize such as a holiday.
17. Any personal data relating to entrants will be used solely in accordance with current UK data protection legislation and will not be disclosed to a third party without the individual's prior consent.
18. By entering this competition, all entrants are deemed to accept these terms and all other terms and conditions. The Promoter may, at its sole discretion, change the dates of entry into the competitions and/or the dates on which the competitions will be promoted and the Promoter reserves the right to alter, amend or withdraw these Terms and all other terms and Conditions and/or the competitions without prior notice.
19. By entering this competition you hereby assign all copyright which you may own in your entry to the Promoter and you acknowledge that the Promoter will own all the copyright in your entry.
20. Other than for death or personal injury arising from the negligence of the Promoter, so far as is permitted by law, the Promoter hereby excludes all liability for any loss, damage, cost, and expense, whether direct or indirect, howsoever caused in connection with the competitions or any aspect of a prize.
21. These terms and conditions are governed by construed and performed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales, whose courts shall be the courts of exclusive jurisdiction.
22. The Promoter’s full terms and conditions can be found here.