Teen beauty spot drinkers are ramblers, not rebels
- Dave Burrows
July 18 - the balloons are released at Old Potts Way, Shrewsbury
Karoline Esbjornsson found one of the balloons in Sweden
When a Shrewsbury family released tagged balloons to mark a christening they never imagined how far they would travel or that one of them would float for 1,081 miles before coming down in a forest in Sweden.
Kim Davies, from Monkmoor, said her daughter Kayleigh Davies and her partner Alan Bound organised the christening for their daughter Emily Grace Davies-Bound, who is now seven months old.
Emily Grace was one of the first babies born on Christmas Day last year in Shrewsbury and on July 18 the family got together at the Beaten Track in Old Potts Way to celebrate her christening.
After the party family and friends all wrote their names on a label and attached them to the helium balloons which were then released into the air.
Mrs Davies said: “We all wrote different names on for each of the people there because Kayleigh wanted everyone to release one.
“We thought it would be nice to put ‘if you find this balloon outside of Shrewsbury please telephone or e-mail us’ and we put on the date and that it was for Emily Grace’s christening.
“We said there would be a prize for whoever’s went the farthest.
“One balloon turned up in Warrington and we thought that would be the farthest one so we were shocked when we were contacted by a girl from Sweden.”
Mrs Davies said her daughter had spoken to the girl, Karoline Esbjornsson, on the phone and she had e-mailed them a picture of her holding the balloon. It was still inflated when it came down in a forest in Falkenberg, near Gothenburg.
The town of Falkenberg is the seat of Falkenberg Municipality in Halland County.
It has a population of 19,000 and is located at the mouth of the river Atran.
Mrs Davies said: “We released about 70 and we couldn’t believe that one had gone across the sea.
“The funny thing is it was Emily Grace’s balloon that went to Sweden so she is winning.
“We’ll have to tell her about it when she’s older.”
She added they were going to wait for a few weeks to see if any more of the balloons turned up before naming the winner.
The farthest distance a balloon has travelled is not known.
In 2007, however, a helium balloon released at a school fete on a rainy day in Manchester was found in southern China three months later.
By Emma Kasprzak
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These idiots should be ashamed of themselves! These balloons are nothing but airborne rubbish, which the wind delivers to some unsuspecting location, where they are an environmental hazard.
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Firstly we are not idiots this was a very special day with a very loving family and i would just like to point out that you are spending time writing stupid remarks about people on your computer which is also an enviromentally bad.
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Ok, so it’s ok to litter as long as it’s for a special occasion?
If everyone did that for a special occasion the countryside would be a mess!
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Erm obviously it is ok yes. As letting off balloons is not illegal. Also the countryside would not be mes because 90-95% of the balloons pop in the air anyway. Also not everybody could do that because there is a limited amount of helium so its not possible. Hope you dont loose anymore sleep now i have give you the facts.
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I’m afraid I have to agree with Mick. Charming as the idea may seem these balloons are a menace to livestock, wildlife and the environment in general – especially marine life if they drift out to sea. I live on a farm and almost every month I have to pick balloons up from fields or pull them out of hedges. When swallowed the balloons or string can be fatal.
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Idiots? Get a life. This was a bit of harmless fun that will be remembered by that family probably for the rest of the their lives. If balloons were such a hazard why would they be made? i do agree that balloons my be harmfull to livestock but so is pollution, do you go on websights of the people who supply you energy and call them idiots? I thought not. How about go out and have some fun in your life instead of sitting on the computor slagging off familys that wanted to do something special for the baby.
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Unfortunately it is not harmless – try searching Google for “marine life balloons”. I am not saying the people were idiots – just a little naive. As to pollution, yes it is bad and we should do what we can to reduce it (that is the business I am in), but to ban balloons would be extreme as they are not so dangerous when blown up with air, or even with helium if they have a weight attached to prevent accidental release. Our two year old loves balloons but like many things in life they need treating responsibly.
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“If balloons were such a hazard why would they be made?” …for the same reason as cigarettes, alcohol, etc. Or are they harmless too?
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Oh my god i can not beleive this! You have one life! just one! Everythng is apperently bad for you these days even the sun for goodness sake even the dust in your houses, even the water you drink, even the air which you breath! If you spend all your time worring about the stupid things what kind of life are you going to have? And its done now the balloons have been let off so there nothing we can do about it now.
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Yes but all im trying to say is, whats a few balloons in the big scheem of things this planet has had to cope with much worse that some balloons. i have just read that out of all the ballons let off only 5-10% stay inflated that makes it an even smaller percent that they will land in the sea and an even smaller percent that an animal will find it, eat it and die from it. It is also not proven that an animal eating a balloon does directly lead to its death. Its just one of them things that people find something to moan about and say it causes to death just like evrything else these days. Its like saying cars should be kept parked because they have a percentage of causeing death if driven. Anyway helium will run out soon so problem solved may aswell make the most of it. And i dont beleive this family should be ashamed of themselves just leave them alone and move on because its not worth aruing over some balloons.
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Some years ago when my children were younger their balloon travelled to a forest in Germany we still have the picture of them from Shropshire Star !
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Completely agree with Jade when she says “get a life”. Its incredible what people will moan about when they have nothing better to do. It was a nice thought to mark a special occasion. To say they are idiots and should be ashamed of them selves over such a minor incident is a very idiotic thing to say. Its you who should feel ashamed for picking on what I suspect is a very loving family. I apologise to Jamie as this is directed mainly at Mick. Stop being so negative.
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Well said jade from one of the loving family members i would just like to say that this was a very special occasion and a brilliant idea. If you are so worried about the enviroment how long do you spend on the computer moaning about about other people when being on the laptop is just as bad.
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also i would like to state we are not idiots we are a very loving family
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I have a very full, rewarding and enjoyable life, thank you! Nonetheless, if the Star publishes stories like this I have every right, indeed an obligation to point out that these people’s “harmless fun” is actually thoughtless and environmentally harmful. Releasing balloons is philosophically no different from littering and fly-tipping, whatever the “cute” motivation. It’s simply irresponsible. I find these balloons regularly and just dispose of them without any further action; perhaps a littering citation will get the “sender’s” attention!
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well do you have a car!!!!!
and also its not enviromentally harmful you are!!!
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As your up at 1:15 in the morning moaning on the Shropshire star website I’d disagree. And littering citation? Lighten up.
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An obligation?
What so you get to be the law and tell people what to do in their lives now?
Shut up
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So what your saying Mick, is that when the Shropshire Star publishes nice stories, it gives you the right to moan. Fair enough. I see your point but there was no need to call them idiots.
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*Mick not mike. But you can still see who i mean anyway
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I think Mick had a valid point but was definately out of order calling people idiots.
It is all very well comparing these things with driving a car or using a computer but they are not comparable.
Thre are often big balloon launches for all sorts of things, charities etc and I have always thought that it is a form of mass littering.
I have found a company that sells butterflys to release at special events and this sounded a lovely idea more eco friendly than balloons.
Someone might post that this is not a good thing to do either and I would be interested to know if that is the case. It would have a short season in view of the temperatures necessary for their welfare however.
I was also looking at an article about the butterfly survey taking place at the moment.
http://www.bigbutterflycount.org
I am wondering if our previous wet summers have taken a toll on the butterflies around this year as I have only seen whites in proliferation and a few browns.
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Sigh! I guess we all cant be the amazing eco warriors that Mick would like us to be. We can’t all be perfect like you Mick. If they’re idiots for releasing balloons then I’d hate to think what that makes me.
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I’m with the concerned environmentalists on this one.
It is questionable whether balloon releases are still within the law. Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, it is an offence to drop “or otherwise deposit’ litter in a public place. During the debate on the Act, balloon releases and their potential for littering were discussed, but unfortunately, such events are not specifically noted in the EPA as being illegal.
If event organisers decide to proceed with a balloon release, using latex balloons rather than mylar or foil balloons is better.
More info on this issue can be found at: http://www.ukrivers.net/balloon_fact.html
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As per normal, a non-story inflated to headline news…if you ask me it’s all hot air….
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How sad can you get, Seriously? I set off a balloon myself as i am part of the family. It was a brilliant idea and will be a memory for Emily-Grace and the family for when she gets older. You really need to get a life and stop being so bloody petty and lighten up abit! There are alot worse things goin on in the world than setting off a balloon so sort that out! Or does that seem to much hard work? Ha.
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Exactly! People are dying in a war right now. And your all on here moaning about letting some balloons off into the air, most of which pop anyway. So what if its ‘littering’ its a minor thing in contrast with the rest of the problems going on in the world. So get off your high horse and keep your nose out of other peoples business mick.
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Go Jade, its your birthday.
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