THE balloons are back! One of the most popular events in the Tavistock calendar will be flying high over the August Bank Holiday. After the disappointment of last year?s cancellation, the organisers of the West Country Balloon Fiesta and Day at the Races are delighted to announce that this year it is all systems go. Last year?s cancellation ? only weeks before the August bank holiday weekend ? was due to changes in guidelines regarding the refilling of portable gas tanks. This situation has now been resolved. Calor, the gas supply company for the fiesta, has developed static storage tanks which can be delivered to site on a low loader and then craned into position. The balloonists? cylinders can then be filled from these tanks by qualified personnel. Fiesta press officer Steve Grummitt, of Tavistock Lions Club, said the organisers, who have worked closely with Calor, are delighted with the co-operation they have had from the company. ?As compensation for the problems of last year, Calor has agreed to waive the cost of bringing the tanks onto site and will be supplying the gas at a subsidised rate,? he said. There was further good news for the fiesta organisers with a sponsorship agreement with Exeter-based Redrow Homes (West Country) Ltd finalised last week. Steve said they had been actively looking for a regionally based company to sponsor the event and were delighted Redrow ? currently creating new homes in Tavistock beyond the Bishopsmead estate ? had come forward. ?This will allow us to have more funds available for additional entertainment and increased publicity. It also allows us to underwrite the fixed costs in the event of bad weather,? he said. Detailed planning for the fiesta, which will be held in the grounds of Tavistock College, is well underway with more than 24 hot air balloons already indicating they will attend. Steve said the fiesta would be the third largest of its kind in the country ? and the only one run by unpaid volunteers raising money for local youth charities, including Crowndale Recreational Association. The event is on August bank holiday weekend.
