What goes up...It’s a wrap for Oswestry balloon fest - with video

Clive Knowles hosted the event at his business the British Ironwork Centre, near Oswestry, in partnership with Lindstrand Balloons.

The festival, which ran over the bank holiday weekend, saw 50 balloons take off from the centre on the A5, as well as a packed programme of entertainment.

Mr Knowles said: “Last year the balloon festival, which was held in Llangollen, was only two days long so we took on an even bigger challenge by making it a day longer.

“Of course I’d like to do it again but it’s a huge operation at a great expense to us so we will have to see how much we have raised for Nightingale House hospice – that’s how we can see how much we’ve achieved,” he said.

“But the whole event was something really quite unusual and extraordinary, and something you can’t really put into words.”

He said the highlight for him was the Evening Glow display on Saturday evening which saw the balloons launch when night fell, literally lighting up the skies above Oswestry.

“It was incredible,” Mr Knowles said. “It looks like the balloon equivalent of Las Vegas. You had to see it to believe it.”

The blustery conditions on Bank Holiday Monday put a stop to balloons taking to the skies but the crowds were entertained by an aerobatic display, fire breathers, exotic animals, shows from the Great British balloon modelling champion, a motorbike stunt team and more.

He added: “When we came in on the Monday morning some of the bravest pilots took off but unfortunately the weather was not so kind to them so we had to stop the balloons taking off for health and safety reasons.

"It did take a lot of explaining because people came to see the hot air balloons and couldn’t understand why they weren’t allowed to take off when there was bright blue skies.

“But we had to make sure everyone was safe. We had St John’s Ambulance and Shropshire Fire Service on site all weekend though and I’m happy to report there were no incidents.

“It was three long days with lots of gas and flames so I’m just pleased everything went safely and smoothly.”

Mayor of Oswestry, Councillor Vince Hunt, said the festival had put Oswestry on the map.

He said: “It has been an absolute pleasure to have been able to attend the first Oswestry Charity Balloon Festival held this weekend,” he said. “Events like this cannot help but to raise the profile of Oswestry as a destination of choice not just throughout Shropshire, but the West Midlands and dare I say it nationally.

“The balloons have come from as far afield as Belgium and even the USA, and were to put it bluntly, an amazing spectacle in the skies above Oswestry. Thousands of people have come to witness the event over the three days. I can only say well done to the organisers, the balloonists, and especially to the team on the ground who made this event the success it was.”