News
Press Release 4th January 2010
The UK Gordon Bennett Gas Balloon Race Committee is proud to announce that Bristol has been selected for the start of the race in September 2010 from a short list of four.
The Coupe Aeronautique Gordon Bennett is the oldest aeronautical event in the world, first held in Paris in 1906. Traditional gas balloons make flights lasting several days and the rules are simple - the balloon landing furthest from the take-off site is the winner.
30th October 2009
This years BBM&L luncheon was an outstanding success.
Not only did we have a brilliant speaker, Dr Janet Folkes, who relived the Gordon Bennett flight of GBR2 with herself and Dr Ann Rich, but very generous items for the auction, and more attendees than we have seen for a number of years.
October 26th 2009
The Doctors did it.
Dr Janet Folkes and Dr Ann Rich broke two records and landed in sixth place in the 2009 Gordon Bennett Race which was launched from Geneva.
October 15th 2009.
The BBM&L had a high presence at English Heritage's Festival of History at Kelmarsh in July. During the event, Martyn Turner was approached and asked if the museum could provide two tethered balloons for a ‘Celebration of Northamptonshire' at Althorp, home of the Spencer family.
A dinner for 400 was being held at Althorp with guests being invited from businesses and councils from all over the county of Northamptonshire.
Wednesday September 9, 2009
At 12:00 today the 53rd Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett, the famous international FAI aeronautical gas balloon race named after the US Media tycoon James Gordon Bennett, came to a fantastic close with the final landing of the 16th competitor in Portelas / Portugal, barely 20 km from the most western tip of the European Continent, and only about 4 km from the Atlantic ocean.
July 24th 2009
The Festival of History was held at Kelmarsh Hall in Northamptonshire in July.
This was a real extravaganza of History. Every era of English history was represented, and battles re-enacted from throughout the ages.
British Balloon Museum & Library balloons were brought out of storage and puffed up for the public, alongside many privately owned balloons which had been brought along. They were all to act as a backdrop for the West Woodhay House Garden Show. The weather forecast looked great. 2-3 knots all weekend, but it was not to be.
June 23rd 2009
The West Woodhay Garden Show and Balloon Event was the launching of the new BBM&L Trailer.
March 23rd 2009.
The British Balloon & Airship Club (BBAC) AGM was held on 15th March at the NFU Headquarters in Stratford upon Avon in Warwickshire.
March 1st 2009.
Earlier this year, Nick Forder, Curator for the Air & Space Hall at The Manchester Museum of Science & Industry (MOSI), invited the BBM&L, through Caroline and Andrew Gibson, to take part in their February half term ‘Dreams of Flight' programme of events. The event was to be part of a free programme of family activities during 14 - 22 February, 2009.
Caroline and Andrew, both Council members of the BBM&L, also fly one of the Museum's tailored balloons, G-ODAY, and were more than willing to tether it to commemorate such an event, right in the middle of Manchester
October 27th 2008
Richard d'Alton chaired his first AGM to a full house, and Colin and Rosemary Mudie captivated the BBM&L's luncheon attendees with the story of their attempt to fly the Atlantic, East to West, in a home made balloon 50 years ago.
It's official -- British adventurer David-Hempleman-Adams and co-pilot Jonathan Mason have won the 52nd Coupe Aeronautique Gordon Bennett.
British Team Wins Nation's First Gordon Bennett. It appears British adventurer David-Hempleman Adams has a new feat to add to his long list of conquests: champion of the world's oldest air race.
The results are still unofficial, but Hempleman-Adams and co-pilot Jonathan Mason flew the greatest distance in the 52nd Coupe Aeronautique Gordon Bennett.
Balloonists looking for new home for national collection just months after exhibition was reopened.
By Liam Sloan, Reporter
http://www.newburytoday.co.uk
Inflation Day 2008 was blessed by dry conditions and fairly light winds, and several local and rarely seen balloons ventured out for an airing.
The BBM&L are pleased to announce that they have acquired the Trans Pacific balloon Capsule from Lindstrand Balloons.
The Museum has acquired a facility for sorting and storing smaller artefacts and books for sorting and passing on to collection holders within the museum.
Inflation Day will be in Kirkby Lonsdale near Kendal in Cumbria on the 10th of May 2008.
Over 100 hot air balloonists at re-launch of West Berkshire Museum's exhibtion on sport's history.
By Liam Sloan, Reporter
http://www.newburytoday.co.uk
The BBM&L has had a ballooning exhibit at the West Berkshire Museum (formerly the Newbury Museum) for over 25 years.
The culmination of months of research and collation of information and photographs is a display at the West Berkshire (formerly Newbury) Museum in Newbury.
The 2007 BBM&L AGM was held at the Elcot Park Hotel near Newbury.
The BBM&L are pleased to announce that Keith Pennock has been awarded a Citation for his service to the Museum.
The Museum has received a large quantity of balloon-related material from the collection of the late Norman Pritchard.
At the Luncheon in 2005 Mike Allen donated his large collection of ballooning books to the Museum.
We express our thanks to Mike his generosity.
John Baker accepts on behalf of the BBM&L, the donation of the balloon Shy Tot to the museum.
The first indoor inflation day event took place on 15th February 1997 at the famous Cardington No. 1 Shed.
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