Up up and away for balloon festival
While most people prepare to keep their feet firmly on the ground, Marc Derbyshire is happiest when his are dangling hundreds of feet up in the air.
He flew the Cloud 9 Balloons, one person, Hopper, out of Cae Glas Park in Oswestry as part of the pre-planning for the town's Balloon Festival in August.
Several Cloud 9 and Lindstrand Balloons took to the skies over the weekend to test out the town centre launch site, providing a surprise spectacle for local people.
Mr Derbyshire said: "We are testing Cae Glas Park in the run up to the balloon carnival over the August bank holiday weekend, working with Oswestry Town Council.
"We were testing the launch area for safety with tree surrounding us, gauging the local reaction to the noise and making people a little bit more aware of how balloons operate."
He said the weekend testing had proved a great success.
"The park is a really nice site and seeing the town open up as you rise above the trees is quite a view," he said.
The Bank Holiday carnival, will see events run from August 24-27.
On the ground there will be markets, a parade and live music while weather permitting balloons will fly from the park across the countryside on the Saturday and Sunday.
Balloonists from across the country are expected to travel to Oswestry for the event and thousands of visitors could pack the town for the spectacle.
The event will help raise funds for Nightingale House Hospice, which helps many families from the Oswestry and north Shropshire border area.
