The unidentified flying object seen at high altitude over England’s South Coast a week ago has at last been identified… it was actually 16 multi-coloured, giant helium-filled balloons flying in formation, each one towing a long ribbon tied to a postcard from Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
“I was amazed how the balloons stayed together as a close group at least 10 miles after they were released in the strong breeze, and how long we could see them with the naked eye,” said Artists Harbour art gallery director Leon Reis.
“They looked like a bunch of polka dots and within two minutes they were still completely visible, very high in the sky and speeding past Chichester, heading southeast over the English Channel and looking set to reach France within the hour,” said Leon. “At one point I started to worry about a high-flying light aircraft that appeared to be in their path”.
The balloons were let go by a sales team from the pharmaceutical giant Glaxo SmithKline, who had hired the Grade 1-listed art gallery in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard for a team-building awayday.
One of their exercises had involved each of the 16 team members writing observations about the team on a postcard of HMS Victory. What the team members didn’t know was that the postcards would be collected, addressed back to them and stamped, then laminated to make them waterproof. Finally, a hole was punched in each encapsulated card for a ribbon to attach it to a helium-filled balloon. The surprise climax of the day was for everybody to release their balloons and send them sailing into the sky, with a prize for anybody who eventually gets their own postcard back through the post.
Disaster nearly struck when the helium balloons, arranged from London, were delivered and were found not to have enough helium in them to even lift one postcard. But a quick call from Artists Harbour to Portsmouth city centre novelty shop Uneedus saved the day… within an hour they had provided 16 huge balloons, each 60cm wide BEFORE inflation, pumped up tight with helium.
“When they were blown up the balloons were so big I could only get five at a time into the back of my big Volvo estate car, even with the seats down,” said Leon. “I thought they might lift me off the ground, let alone a postcard”.
The team released the balloons between HMS Victory and HMS Ark Royal, berthed a few yards away in HM Naval Base.
If any ever of the British-stamped postcards ever make it back from France to Glaxo SmithKline’s London HQ, Artists Harbour promises to let you know. If they don’t make it, perhaps complaints on a postcard to the EU would be appropriate?
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