Hospice launches Valentine 's balloon race

There will be love in the air in more ways than one this weekend as John Taylor Hospice stages its virtual Valentine 's balloon race.

The fundraising initiative allows participants to pay £3 to enter a balloon in the race and then track how far it travels in real-time using Google Maps.

Each balloon is customisable - from the design to picking how much helium is in it and the thickness of the rubber.

Top prizes for balloons travelling the furthest are £500 in cash and an Apple iPad, while there will be 10 lucky winners of £10 book tokens.

Hospice community and events fundraising manager Charlie Pette said: “The race sets off on 14 February at 12pm from the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

“The balloons are completely customisable and will battle against real-life weather conditions over seven days.

“You 'll even be able to follow your balloon 's progress in real-time on Google Maps to see how far it goes!

“For £3, which is about the price of a Valentine 's card, you can purchase your special someone a novel gift that 's also meaningful, as the proceeds are benefitting local people.

“We really hope that you can share the love by helping our new fundraising idea to take off, and support us to raise £3,000 to fund vital services at the hospice and in the local community.

“This is also a perfect way to say thank you to a colleague, who due to lockdown maybe working remotely or you haven 't seen face-to-face for a long while. ”

For more information click here.