Virgin lands in Audlem

Audlem is well used to being the helicopter and light aircraft crossroads of England. Indeed, as suggested yesterday in the Chatbox, the Royal Princes, William and Harry, may well have been piloting the Shawbury-based training helicopters regularly flying over the village while they have been at the Shropshire RAF training base.

Now it's the turn of balloons to be attracted to Audlem. Perhaps last night an equally famous personage, Sir Richard Branson, could have been piloting the Virgin balloon that passed over and then landed nearby.

All will remember Sir Richard's trans-Atlantic ballooning exploits and, if you are really interested, you can study them in detail in Tom Bower's insightful biography of the dare-devil Virgin entreprenneur.

Peter Oxley, who sent Audlem Online these splendid photographs adds: "Last night, between 7.30 – 8.00pm, a large red "Virgin" balloon came down, seemingly out of gas or with technical problems north of the village.

"A little later, the "AUDI" balloon came low over the south of the village, also seeming to land somewhere nearby to Green Lane."

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