OKEHAMPTON?S first-ever balloon festival is ready for lift-off after it was agreed a balloon event in Simmons Park would mark the finale of a weekend of sport in Okehampton next month.
However, Geoff Davis ? who is liaising between organisers Exeter Balloons and the town council ? says this year?s event will merely be a taster to a ?spectacular? balloon festival to come next year.
Okehampton Festival of Sport ? organised by OCRA ? runs during the first week in July and climaxes with a football tournament in Simmons Park on Sunday, July 5.
This year, the backdrop to the tournament will be the sight of a number of hot air balloons taking off from the Park on both Saturday and Sunday.
Arranging the balloon event has been a race against time.
Speaking in the Okehampton Times in April, Mr Davis said it was ?unlikely? any event could be held this summer.
He said he was not sure how many balloons would be at the Okehampton event as it was quite short notice and the event clashed with the well-established Southampton balloon show.
However, he said balloon crews were travelling from as far afield as Gloucester, at their own expense, to take part.
Mr Davis said he hoped the people of Okehampton would get behind the event.
?We want people to come along and see the balloons,? said Mr Davis and he promised next year?s event would be ?fantastic?.
The first balloon fly-off from Simmons Park will be at 7pm on Saturday, and again at around 7am on Sunday morning and 7pm on Sunday evening.
Mr Davis wanted to thank Okehampton Town Council and town clerk Don Bent who he said had given ?a lot of support? to ensure a balloon festival could still be held at short notice this year.
Stuart Lord of OCRA, who organise the Okehampton Festival of Sport, said he was pleased to be working in partnership with the balloon event organisers, but was also looking forward to next year.
?We are working on some big plans for next year,? he said.
Mr Lord said he felt it would be a ?great spectacle? to watch the balloons in Simmons Park.
?It is such a beautiful location for sport and for people to enjoy themselves,? he said.
Okehampton Festival of Sport runs from Friday, July 4, to Wednesday, July 9 and offers a wide range of sporting activities, have-a-go sessions and team competitions.
Mr Lord said organisers still wanted to hear from teams interested in entering the men and women?s football competition or the netball competition.
He urged those interested in taking part to register soon as, due to the work currently going on to build a new sports complex in Simmons Park, team numbers have had to be limited.
Anyone who wants to get an application form for their team or find out more about Okehampton Festival of Sport is asked to contact OCRA on 01837 54546.