Balloon Advertising News

Fly Me Home is an exciting new venture in which homeless and vulnerably housed young people will make, build and fly a hot air balloon to raise awareness of the growing number of people without homes in the UK.

The project, launched by the award winning homeless charity Film It who are working with Skypower and the aim is to raise awareness of the growing problem of the hidden homeless.

The Fly Me Home balloon will be printed with up to 30,000 signatures and messages of support to raise awareness and tackle the growing problem of people living on the streets. On the 11th December the balloon was tethered outside St Paul’s where it was blessed by the Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral in preparation for it’s flight across the Capital next spring as part of a multiple balloon flight across the city organised by Skypower. It has been ten years since the Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral last carried out such a blessing.

A ten pound donation will give supporters the chance to win a ride and write a message on the balloon itself. That money will go towards helping young people back into education, training and employment. From there it’s a short step to a home of their own.
At the heart of Film It’s work is the understanding that vulnerable people need to address social behaviour and self esteem before they can move on to employability skills, Fly Me Home tackles this problem. For many, formal education is not an option as they have suffered exclusion from schools or their own family. The Fly Me Home project will form the centre-piece of a new social enterprise in which the homeless will be given the opportunity to regain control of their lives.
Thanks to Fly Me Home each young person will be offered individual tailored mentoring support that will be designed to address their particular issues, directing them towards ongoing help and further encouraging them to create stable relationships.

Sue Dawson, Director of Film It says: “Never before have we been involved in a venture so inspiring, so positive and so all encompassing. As the credit crunch bites ever harder there has been a 1,600% increase in homelessness in London alone over the last ten years. Our balloon will raise awareness and be seen by millions in its first year; hundreds of young people will be helped as the public, corporate giants, charitable organisations and local authorities work together on this exciting and dare I say it uplifting project! ”