EVER fancied having a bird's eye view of Preston from a hot air balloon? Well here's your chance.

As part of the Preston International City Festival (ICE), there will be an massed balloon launch on Moor Park.

And two lucky Citizen readers, each with a child, will get the chance to enjoy a hot air balloon ride and see the sights of the city from the air.

The prize comes courtesy of Events for U and the hot air balloon company, Skypower, which are also offering five runners-up the chance to enjoy a tethered balloon flight, going 100ft into the air

The prize rides take off on Saturday, the first full day of the festival.

The festival starts on the Friday evening at 5pm, with a fairground frenzy when all rides will cost 50p all evening (excluding the reverse bungee) until the close at 10pm. The two first prize winners will take off from the park at 6pm on Saturday June 12, while runners-up can enjoy their prizes at a mutually convenient time on the same day.

Balloons will be around for much of Saturday, which starts with a 6am launch.

The arena will be open from 10am, admission is £1 for people aged 12-plus and free for youngsters.

As well as tethered balloons, motorbike riders will perform dare-devil stunts in the Globe of Death and Thai boxing champ, Sandy Holt, will be giving a demo of the sport.

The evening mass balloon launch at 6pm will be followed by a Dusk by a Nightglow event at about 9.30pm-10pm, with balloon burners lit to music followed by a fireworks display and close at 11.30pm.

Fun-seekers can expect more of the same on Sunday before a final balloon launch at 6pm and close an hour later. Log onto www.go2preston.com for other festival events. 3From then on the ten-day ICE festival will get into full flow with various events taking place around the city.

To be in with a chance of winning answer the following question. How high is the tethered balloon flight likely to be? Answers on a postcard or sealed envelope to Citizen hot air balloon comp, 3 Winckley Court, Chapel Street, Preston, PR1 8BU, before Friday, May 28.

The first correct entry pulled out after the closing date will be the winner. The editor's decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Employees of this newspaper, their families and anyone connected with this competition are not eligible to enter. Prize is subject to weather conditions and there is no cash or prize alternative. Prize winners must be 1.1m (3ft 7ins) in height.