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Up Up and Away – No – Don’t Let Go!

Some Soroptimists have been concerned about events where balloons have been released and maybe members are not aware of the damage this does to wildlife.  In the UK  the balloons often float over the sea and many animals think they are food and die a painful death. So maybe you would like to follow the Marine Conservation Society Guidance and instead of up up and away go for Don’t let go!

Wildlife friendly balloon use

You can enjoy balloons without harming wildlife:

  • Don’t Let Go of balloons outdoors
  • Fill balloons with air rather than helium
  • Use balloons made of natural rubber latex rather than mylar (foil) balloons
  • When tying balloons, use natural cotton string rather than plastic ribbon
  • Securely tie any balloons that are used outside
  • Always hand tie balloons rather than using plastic valves

  

Other ideas for balloon events.

  • Prize balloon popping - air fill your balloons, and hide a few prize tickets inside. Release the balloons indoors and have everyone pop them to find prizes.
  • Guess the number of balloons - run a competition before the balloon-pop, the closest guess wins.
  • Balloon art - hire a balloon artist or, for the big, bold statement, try a giant air-filled-balloon sculpture.
  • Balloon relay - each member of a team has to run a short distance and sit on a balloon to pop it before running back to tag the next member of the team. The first team to pop all their balloons wins!
  • Guess the number of balloons - why not fill a car with inflated balloons and run a competition to guess how many balloons are in car. The nearest guess wins the prize.