Hot air balloon helps Plymouth Albion rise to occasion

Tue, May 1st 2007, 11:00

The home crowd weren’t the only ones flying high when Plymouth Albion beat Cornish Pirates 19 – 9.

It was the first outing of the season for new stand sponsor Redrow Homes’ hot air balloon, which flew over the Brickfields ground on the day and offered tethered flights to some of the record crowd of almost 6,000 supporters.

Plymouth Albion moved up to fourth in the National Division One table after seeing off the Cornish Pirates with three unanswered tries, helping them become the first team this season to complete a league double over the Pirates.

Watching the victory was Redrow’s land director Mark Harding, who said: “We’re contributing a major sum to the new east stand over the next five years as part of Redrow’s brand awareness strategy in and around Plymouth and the wider Devon area. As anticipated, this match attracted the biggest crowd of the season and we were delighted to have our hot air balloon flying on the day.”

Redrow’s hot air balloon made its maiden flight at last year’s Westcountry Balloon Fiesta in Tavistock and will be back there this August. It will also feature at the Royal Cornwall Show on June 7.

With offices in Exeter and Bristol, Redrow’s local presence includes new homes in Plympton, Devonport and Tavistock. For further details call 0845 676 0500.