It will be a daring attempt for enthusiastic Matt Silver Vallance, also known as the ‘balloon man’ as he takes on the challenge to fly across the open waters of Cape Town with only a few helium filled balloons in April next year. With the aim of raising R10 million for the proposed Nelson Mandela Children's Hospital in Johannesburg, Vallance said many people within the various sectors of South Africa have already come forward to support the initiative.
“My family and friends say that flying from Robben Island to the mainland of Cape Town with a bunch balloons is quite crazy. Yes it does sound risky, but with training and safety measures on the day we are hoping that everything goes as planned,’’ he said. “The balloon run has really inspired me to push harder and when we started this project we wanted to create an event that would capture the imagination of the broader nation and yes I am proud to say that it did and people are starting to take interest."
Vallance said choosing the destination for the flight was quite a hard decision. “We chose to do the flight from Robben Island because we want to grab the imagination of the global audience. There are lots of active media out there and we want to draw them to South Africa especially seeing that it is for a good cause,” he said. “Many ask us why we chose to donate money to a well known organisation, instead of smaller ones who needs the money. If we compare the Nelson Mandela Children’s hospital to other worldwide organisations, you’ll find that it is nowhere near their high funding."
“It is very interesting for me to see how people around the world fly balloons to raise money for organisations in their country. To think that when you are in mid air you could be going much higher in a matter of seconds and anything can happen,” he said. The only equipment that will be used to pop the balloons for landing will be blades, pallet guns and certain type of technical equipment that will make a difference to lowering. If anything should go wrong, it is best to cut loose and aim for the lower waters. There will be paramedics on standby on the day as well, Valance explained.
His journey from the Robben Island Museum to the mainland will consist of approximately 200 x 5 foot diameter helium-inflated latex balloons attached to him. The push up and landing will be controlled by either jettisoning weight or deflating a balloon, while the direction will be controlled by air currents. He said an experienced international team of experts will be on duty to ensure a successful flight.
“To see people help each other all the time is great and inspiring to many. But the sad part of asking for help from the public is that many people that you engage with say yes they are willing to help and they like the idea of the project, but when it is finally there they are nowhere to be found,” added Vallance. The adventurer admitted that he was quite stressed out because although there are organisations sponsoring the initiative, the team needed to get more funding to cover the complete project. He said the costing for the inflated latex balloons totals up to more than R1800 with the helium adding up to an enormous price.
“I am happy that there are people who came forward to sponsor the helium for the day, so right now, we are concentrating on funding mainly," he said. “I am very excited and at the same time nervous to be doing this great project. If I had to die doing this, I would know that it wasn’t done to show off but rather for a good cause that will be benefiting many little children at the hospital.”
If you would like to know more on the Robben Island Balloon Run or would like to donate towards the initiative, you can email Matt Silver-Vallance on matt@balloonrun.com or visit the webpage on www.balloonrun.com. V OC (Aishah Cassiem)
“My family and friends say that flying from Robben Island to the mainland of Cape Town with a bunch balloons is quite crazy. Yes it does sound risky, but with training and safety measures on the day we are hoping that everything goes as planned,’’ he said. “The balloon run has really inspired me to push harder and when we started this project we wanted to create an event that would capture the imagination of the broader nation and yes I am proud to say that it did and people are starting to take interest."
Vallance said choosing the destination for the flight was quite a hard decision. “We chose to do the flight from Robben Island because we want to grab the imagination of the global audience. There are lots of active media out there and we want to draw them to South Africa especially seeing that it is for a good cause,” he said. “Many ask us why we chose to donate money to a well known organisation, instead of smaller ones who needs the money. If we compare the Nelson Mandela Children’s hospital to other worldwide organisations, you’ll find that it is nowhere near their high funding."
“It is very interesting for me to see how people around the world fly balloons to raise money for organisations in their country. To think that when you are in mid air you could be going much higher in a matter of seconds and anything can happen,” he said. The only equipment that will be used to pop the balloons for landing will be blades, pallet guns and certain type of technical equipment that will make a difference to lowering. If anything should go wrong, it is best to cut loose and aim for the lower waters. There will be paramedics on standby on the day as well, Valance explained.
His journey from the Robben Island Museum to the mainland will consist of approximately 200 x 5 foot diameter helium-inflated latex balloons attached to him. The push up and landing will be controlled by either jettisoning weight or deflating a balloon, while the direction will be controlled by air currents. He said an experienced international team of experts will be on duty to ensure a successful flight.
Helping hands
Valance said that they are working with various organisations in the city and have recently met up with SA Rugby to help take the initial steps. “We are launching the programme in Cape Town and Robben Island for the next two weeks and are hoping to get as much people on board. However, we already have different partners that are working with us including City Varsity and a few other organisations in the Western Cape,’’ he said. “We are also planning to screen the event live with Google- South Africa for everyone around the world to see.”“To see people help each other all the time is great and inspiring to many. But the sad part of asking for help from the public is that many people that you engage with say yes they are willing to help and they like the idea of the project, but when it is finally there they are nowhere to be found,” added Vallance. The adventurer admitted that he was quite stressed out because although there are organisations sponsoring the initiative, the team needed to get more funding to cover the complete project. He said the costing for the inflated latex balloons totals up to more than R1800 with the helium adding up to an enormous price.
“I am happy that there are people who came forward to sponsor the helium for the day, so right now, we are concentrating on funding mainly," he said. “I am very excited and at the same time nervous to be doing this great project. If I had to die doing this, I would know that it wasn’t done to show off but rather for a good cause that will be benefiting many little children at the hospital.”
If you would like to know more on the Robben Island Balloon Run or would like to donate towards the initiative, you can email Matt Silver-Vallance on matt@balloonrun.com or visit the webpage on www.balloonrun.com. V OC (Aishah Cassiem)
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