Boyne Valley balloons for Easter aerial fiesta in Trim

'Honey' and 'Bizzy', the Boyne Valley Honey bees, will be among the star attractions when they make their debut at the Trim Hot Air Balloon Fiesta which takes place in the town from 2nd-5th April. The Easter Bank Holiday weekend will see the skies over Trim come alive with a host of special shaped hot air balloons for the festival, including a giant Easter chick and Easter bunny, Darth Vader, Thomas the Tank Engine and Sonic the Hedgehog, to name but a few. The Boyne Valley Bees, 'Honey' and 'Bizzy', are a devoted couple and are sure to delight visitors to Trim with their unique charm and personality, and their aerial displays of affection. The two hot air balloons tower over 120 feet tall - as tall as a 20-storey building - and will soar over the landscape with a combined volume of over 5,600 cubed metres. Public displays of affection will be the order of the day as Honey and Bizzy love to hold hands and steal a kiss before they set off about their work of gathering nectar. The bees will also be supporting their friends at Down's Syndrome Ireland. The Trim Hot Air Balloon Fiesta will also offer a rare chance to meet pioneer aviator Brian Jones who piloted the Breitling Orbiter 3 to become the first balloon to fly around the world non-stop, taking 19 days, 21 hours, and 55 minutes, during which time he and his co-pilot existed within a cramped capsule in often freezing temperatures. Jones is bringing a spectacular replica of this world record-setting balloon to Trim for the occasion. The programme on land will include family-fun activities such as street performers, Easter egg hunts, a teddy bear balloon flight for charity, duck racing, face-painting, carousels and other amusements, inflatable games and festival-style market stalls. Evening entertainment will include a 'night glow' spectacle on the banks of the Boyne and a medieval banquet. The fiesta will also be supporting the Winds of Hope Foundation charity which was established by Brian Jones and his co-pilot, Bertrand Picard, to build awareness of and combat Noma, a disfiguring gangrene-like disease which afflicts 100,000 young victims every year, mainly in the poorest regions of Africa. Admission to the Trim Hot Air Balloon Fiesta at the Porchfields will be free.