I was concerned about this as I sometimes see balloons littering the countryside - so i dropped DMH a line. Here is what I wrote......"I read I the local press that Staffordshire Macmillan shops are to hold balloon races in order to raise funds. Writing as a walker \and lover of our countryside I would appeal to you to stop this activity on future occasions. This year I have found at least three toy balloons (admittedly not from Douglas Macmillan, not probably from balloon races) littering the natural landscape. All three were in relatively remote parts of the Peak District. The D. Macmillan shops in Staffordshire will probably be responsible for the release of hundreds of balloons this weekend- surely you should consider the consequences of this means of fundraising? There are plenty of other fun things you could do. I'm not picking on your charity in particular as I know others do it and there are other sources of balloons. Nevertheless you are publicly and actively encouraging people to litter the countryside. It is a shame and possibly an offence. I've attached a picture so you can see what I mean." Here is the picture taken near Crowden (Peak District) on 07/09/2014.
I also sent a letter to The Sentinel and Leek Post and Times. Here it is "Dear Editor
I read I the local
press that Staffordshire Macmillan shops are to hold balloon races in
order to raise funds. Writing as a walker\and lover of the British
countryside I would appeal to them to stop this activity for future
occasions. Over the past two months I have found at least three toy
balloons (admittedly not from Douglas Macmillan, probably not from
balloon races) littering the natural landscape. All three were in
relatively remote parts of the Peak District. The Douglas Macmillan
shops in Staffordshire will probably be responsible for the release
of hundreds of balloons this weekend- surely they should consider the
consequences of this means of fundraising? There are plenty of other
fun things they could do (there is a download available on their
website which has many suggestions). I'm not picking on this charity
in particular as I know others do it and there are other sources of
balloons. Nevertheless they, plus any other organisations who have
balloon races, are publicly and actively encouraging people to litter
our landscape. It is a real shame, and possibly, according to DEFRA
illegal who say, “Litter
can be as small as a sweet wrapper, or as large as a bag of rubbish,
or it can mean lots of items scattered about.....and the offence of
Leaving
Litter
(section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990) applies where a
person throws down, drops or otherwise deposits any litter in any
place in the open air in the area of a principal litter authority to
which the public has access with or without payment, and leaves it.”."
Then today, shortly after I took a photo of another balloon adorning a tree near where I live (photo below) , I received this reply from DMH. Here it is.... Dear Wendy
Thank you for raising your concerns which have been noted and please be assured we do respect your viewpoint on this matter.
We are not holding a balloon race, this was a misinterpretation of our plans by the media; at most each shop of whih there are 20 sites,will be releasing one symbolic balloon biodegradable balloon at 4.30 on Friday, notionally carrying the messages of our supporters. The actual tags with messages on will be retained in our shops for public viewing.
Kind regards
Perhaps my letter had some influence - I'll leave readers of this blog to decide.
Party balloon in tree near Stanley head - photographed 30/09/14
Just for completeness her is my reply to the DMH reply..."Dear Karen
Thankyou for your reply. I have to say I am relieved that your organisation is not going to release hundreds of balloons, although you say you will still be releasing one biodegradable symbolic one from each shop. Presumably you have now organised this event and so I would not expect you to cancel that part of it, however I urge you not to repeat this event in future years. I read that the biodegradable balloons decay at the same speed as an oak leaf, which in my experience can be several months or more. So these balloons could be around, littering our environment for some considerable time. Long enough to look unsightly and potentially cause harm wildlife (which may get tangled in the strings, or if the balloons enter rivers or the sea, be mistaken for food and cause animals to choke). As it happens I have been out for a walk this morning, near where I live, and during that time what should I see? There was yet another balloon, this time hanging in a tree!
Wendy"
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