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SOUTH WEST BUSINESS NEWS
Balloon Fiesta teams up with Air Ambulance
T
he Bristol International Balloon Fiesta has named the Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC) as its
official partner for 2016. The charity’s helicopter will be an integral
part of the four-day event, Europe’s largest ballooning show, which will be held in Ashton Court from 11-14 August. Over the course of the weekend, GWAAC staff
and volunteers will be mingling with the estimated half a million visitors the Fiesta attracts aiming to raise £25,000 – which is what it costs to keep their helicopter operational for four days. From racing to remote spots where people
have suffered life-threatening injuries to making sure sick children can be flown to Bristol’s specialist hospital, the air ambulance covers Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Gloucestershire, North Somerset and parts of Wiltshire from its base at Filton. But although it provides a vital, lifesaving
service and is part of the regional 999 network, the GWAAC receives no day to day Government or Lottery cash, and needs to raise its own funds. It costs around £2.3m to keep the team flying each year. The GWAAC helicopter will be on site at this
year’s Bristol International Balloon Fiesta and the team will perform demonstrations to
‘As the local air ambulance for the city we are looking forward to being involved ’
entertain and educate the crowds. GWWAC chief executive John Christensen
said: “We are delighted to have been chosen as the official partner for the balloon fiesta. It is a key part of Bristol’s event calendar, and as the local air ambulance for the city we are looking forward to being involved in it. “It is a great chance for us to not only raise
the much needed funds to keep us going, but also to promote the work that we do. We hope as many people as possible who visit the festival during the four days come and talk to us, and have a look at our helicopter.” They are looking to recruit 50 volunteers for each day of the fiesta, working across a range of
roles including marshalling the helicopter, carrying out bucket collections and selling merchandise and raffle tickets. Sue Atkinson, chair of the organising committee for Bristol International Balloon Fiesta explains: “The Great Western Air Ambulance Charity save lives regularly across the region and we're delighted to have them on board as our official charity for this year's fiesta. “We’re looking forward to getting this partnership started and working closely with the charity to raise awareness and the vital funds needed to keep the operation going so they can continue to provide the lifesaving emergency care they do.”
Retail owners unite to improve offering
Retail owners in the South West are working together to attract even more new retailers to the region. Owners of the main retail
‘We are expecting to see even more visitors, more businesses relocating and more jobs here’
centres across the region have combined forces to create an eye-catching retail map that highlights the current retail strengths of the region and the future economic potential for investors here. William Juckes, chair of the West of England retail sector group,
which acts as an advisory group to the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), said: “There has been huge progress in our region’s retail offering over the last 20 years, with the arrival of Cribbs Causeway, Cabot Circus and SouthGate Bath, plus the redevelopment of Dolphin Square in Weston super Mare and Broadmead in Bristol. We now have a fantastic retail offering with a wide variety of retailers, providing a great mix of big brand names and local independents. “However, we know that major retailers, particularly international
brands, often disregard our part of the country when they are looking to trial new concepts outside of London. It’s vital that we work together as a sector and do everything we can to raise the profile of the opportunities here.” John Hirst, chief executive of Destination Bristol, said: “Our main shopping centres have a combined annual footfall of over 100 million visitors and, with the planned investment in our transport network over the next few years – particularly the electrification of the Great Western railway line – we are expecting to see even more visitors, more businesses relocating, and more jobs here. “We want to take this message out to national and international retailers and show them what they’re missing.”
10 insight JULY/AUGUST 2016
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