A botched charity balloon launch has brought worldwide fame

to  Bristol fundraisers.

A video of students from the University of the West of England

(UWE) posted on the internet has been viewed thousands of

times  and has even  attracted interest from a US TV

network.

It shows them  attempting to release hundreds of red

helium-filled balloons, most of which float straight into a

tree and burst noisily.

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The video was posted on  YouTube, where it has been

watched more than 19,000 times, while on  

Liveleak.com the clip was viewed nearly 70,000 times in five

days.

Yesterday thursday Chris Anthony, 24, who helps run students’

charity events at UWE’s student union, received an email from

international TV network CNN, which wants to 

show   the video.

Chris, of Stoke Gifford, said: “It was a bit embarrassing at

first but now I am quite proud.”

, although it is a worrying thought that I might be remembered

for releasing a load of balloons into a tree.”

The event itself took place on February 14 last year2007, but

the video, named “the funniest balloon launch ever”, has only

recently become so widely-viewed.

It was only the second event organised by the newly-formed

Raise and Give society (RAG) at the university, and the

students were raising money for Children in Need, Health

Unlimited and the National Aids Trust.

Tickets were sold and each was attached to a balloon, and a

prize of music vouchers was to be given to the person whose

balloon travelled the furthest after being released.

In the end, one balloon did manage to escape the tree and

travelled more than 100 miles from Bristol to Lymington,

Hampshire.