A BRIGHT red barrage balloon was flying high over the countryside near North Tawton over the Bank Holiday weekend to raise public awareness of a proposed wind farm. The Den Brook Valley Action Group (DBVAG) who arranged the event, said they had been ?absolutely delighted? with the response from local people. The balloon was anchored in a field in the Den Brook valley, near North Tawton, as close to the proposed site as possible. Members of the campaign group, set up last year to oppose the proposal for a series of turbines that could be 100m high, arranged for the balloon to be flown for four days. Muriel Goodman, chairman of the group, said the helium filled balloon reached the height of the tip of the blade of the tallest turbines proposed for the site (100m or 328ft). She said: ?We are doing this to let people know how high these proposed turbines would be. ?We want them to be able to imagine what ten of these structures, which would be much more visible than the balloon, would look like. ?This would be industrialisation of the landscape and there would also be noise when the wind blew and the turbines were turning.? Mrs Goodman said the turbines would produce only ?minimal electricity?. ?They will have virtually no impact on global warming, but will have a huge effect on our tourist trade. We saw what happened to the tourist trade during foot and mouth ? wind turbines will have a cumulative effect.? Action Group members were joined by Okehampton wind turbine activists and artists on Sunday for the international day of artists painting against wind turbines. Den Brook was just one of the areas across the UK and in America, where artists converged to paint, draw or sketch unspoilt landscapes. The artists will be able to have their paintings displayed on website http://www.artistsagainstwindfarms.com">www.artistsagainstwindfarms.com, organised by Barnstaple artist Christine Lovelock. Christine, daughter of the eminent scientist James Lovelock, launched the balloon on its maiden flight. She said she hoped the day would draw attention to the nationwide issue of wind turbines and help bring opponents? groups and artists together. RIGHT: Campaigners prepare the balloon for lift-off.