Red balloon race raises money for charity

The Birmingham office of property consultancy firm Bruton Knowles has raised more than £500 for charity with a sponsored balloon race.

Staff from the firm, along with members of Harborne Parish Lands Charity (HPLC), released more than 100 red helium balloons into the sky on Thursday 18th January.

The money was raised through sponsorship of the balloons, with each balloon costing £5. The balloons are tagged with sponsor details and the one that travels the furthest wins, with the winner receiving a hamper.

The money will be donated to HPLC to support the work it does in providing social housing for the elderly, vulnerable people and those with restricted mobility, and giving grants to those in need and organisations that help care for people in the community.

David Walton, an associate at Bruton Knowles in Birmingham, organised the balloon race. He said: “Bruton Knowles celebrated its 150th anniversary last year and we wanted to do something locally to commemorate the milestone while raising money for charity at the same time.

“We already have an excellent relationship with HPLC as it’s a long standing client of Bruton Knowles, so it felt appropriate to use this opportunity to give something back by raising money to help support the fantastic work the charity does for residents of the Parish.”

Harborne Parish Lands Charity has been providing a service to those in need for more than 400 years by giving grants and providing housing for people who live in the old parish of Harborne.

Today, the old parish has been replaced by 12 parishes, which cover Harborne, Smethwick and parts of Quinton and Bearwood.