Hannah Cameron is a director of Cameron Balloons, a small Bedminster company\u00a0responsible for most of the hot air balloons and special shape balloons seen around the globe over the last four decades.<\/p>\n
Catch the special shapes mass ascent at this year\u2019s Bristol International Balloon Fiesta on Thursday, August 8 at 6pm.<\/p>\n
Here are Hannah\u2019s top-five Bristol favourites:<\/p>\n
The events and festivals<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cOf course as a balloonist, the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta is a wonderful event and for me, my husband and our small children it is a great family event, despite all the early starts for flying and briefings and working at the marquee until late at night to make sure we keep all those balloons flying. The spectacle I think really cannot be beaten.\u201d<\/p>\n The parks and green spaces<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI was born in Bristol and although I have lived in lots of other towns, I love the way Bristol has so much green. We need to protect it and enhance it. Every scrap of land counts and I hope the council can support or indeed remove red tape so community groups that try to or do adopt unkempt spaces can do so easily.\u201d<\/p>\n Eating out<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThere is so much choice in Bristol \u2013 we sometimes go for a tapas type of meal and then the children can choose bits and pieces or perhaps to one of the rural pubs for a more hearty meal. Although as a balloonist we tend, if eating out, to go for breakfast after flying and before starting work.\u201d<\/p>\n The history of Bristol and its famous people<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWe have lots of visitors from overseas and it is easy to go about the city and show off points of interest. Perhaps M Shed, the plaque commemorating the launch of the ss Great Britain on the July 19, 1837 and other parts of Brunel\u2019s empire of engineering; the iconic Suspension Bridge for example. Or maybe the caves (the book \u2018Secret Underground Bristol\u2019 by Sally Watson is great for information about all sorts of interesting below surface places), the marina and harbourside, and of course spotting the Bristol gorillas, Bedminster bugs and the current Gromits.\u201d<\/p>\n The brilliant people I work with<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI have to say, I am so proud to be part of the team at Cameron Balloons that made the world record-breaking round the world balloon and to be part of a very small group of people (there are only 65 of us) responsible for most of the hot air balloons and special shape balloons seen around the globe over the last four decades. Work is always busy and often unglamorous behind the scenes \u2013 but it is interesting, often challenging and full of fascinating characters. In short, the ingenuity, innovation, craftsmanship, expertise and talent of our team is nothing short of amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n