Balloon Race
The Balloon Race has become a regular feature of the College diary and the Lourdes fund-raising programme. The idea is that pupils, parents, teachers and friends ‘buy’ a balloon. These are released together, after Air Traffic Control has been informed. We always hope for a bright and sunny day but with plenty of wind! Over the last three years at least our wishes have been granted and strong winds take the 1000 balloons, with their attached cards indicating the buyer, rapidly up and across the Pennines and the North Sea! The winner of the Race is the buyer of the balloon which is returned from the furthest point away from the College. They have been found as far afield as places like Cork in Southern Ireland, Austria or Germany close to the Czech border - some feat and our thanks obviously go to those individuals who take the time to post the cards back to us, often with a letter attached explaining where the balloon was found.
2009 was a first because the balloons headed north and they all seem to have disappeared into the Irish Sea and beyond. For the first time none were returned!
Another aspect of the Balloon Race is the number of celebrities who have kindly come along to help us launch the balloons. These have included Rugby League players, including St Helen's and Great Britain star Paul Sculthorpe, footballer Jamie Carragher and Millions film star Alex Etel.