“Ochiltree youngster Melissa Aitken isn’t full of hot air when she claims her helium balloon has lasted just a little longer than usual – she has had it for FIVE YEARS!”
A Cumnock Chronicle reporter wrote that in 1997.
Now, in 2020, we can report that Melissa still isn’t feeling deflated, as her balloon is still going strong, a whopping 28 years after she was gifted it by a neighbour.
The neighbour, Mrs Griffin, the grandmother of Melissa’s friend Holly, had taken Melissa and Holly to Ayr’s Wonderland World in 1992 where she bought the Aladdin-themed balloon for Melissa and another balloon for Holly.
Holly’s balloon deflated in days but somehow Melissa’s kept going all these years.
Melissa’s mum Judy got in touch with us about the incredible longevity of her daughter’s balloon.
She said: “It’s all doom and gloom just now and this I thought would be something nice to give everyone a good cheering up.
“Now we’re trying to find out if this is one of the longest helium balloons that’s stayed up.”
The Guinness Book of World Records list various records involving balloons but upon contacting them the Chronicle was told by a spokesperson: “I’m afraid we don’t monitor
a category for this so I am unable to confirm what the longest lasting helium balloon is!”
Melissa still remembers her encounter with the Cumnock Chronicle reporter back in 1997, she said: “I was only nine years old and all I remember is feeling very proud I’d managed to keep a helium balloon for five years.”
It was not always easy protecting the balloon from damage, Melissa said at the time she had two dogs, Dinky and Buster, “who given half
the chance would have relished the opportunity to pop the balloon”.
She added: “Fast forward 23 years and I honestly never imagined I’d be saying I still have it.
“I think it’s absolutely amazing that it has lasted almost three decades and is still going strong. Forget the magic carpet, I have a magic balloon.
“As time has ticked on the whole family have become somewhat protective over it because it simply defies logic.”
And Melissa did also confirm to us that after 28 years she is still a fan of Aladdin.
She said: “Luckily, Disney is timeless and you’re never
too old to enjoy it, so after all this time I can say I’m still a fan.”
A quick search on the internet brings up the case of Jordan Lynam from Birmingham who claimed in 2018 that the balloon he was given at birth remains inflated.
If that is still the case, then it looks like Melissa has a challenger.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here