The choice for sky lanterns was made by the head of the Tourism Unit at the European Commission in Brussels. This marketing campaign was executed by the European Travel Commission on the behalf of the European Commission, which involved 2000 premium sky lanterns distributed to 12 European Cities

We want to appeal to all Civil Servants and those working in public bodies to remind them that by vocation, they have the moral duty to be impartial, coherent, responsible, cohesive and accountable for any declaration and action they take while representing their professional division. This also applies to Fire-fighters, Police Officers, Doctors, Nurses, Vets, Teachers, Counsellors, MPs, The Right Honourable Ladies and Gentlemen, Local Authorities and public corporations such as the BBC, Channel 4 and all other organisations involved to inform and shaping public behaviour.

my campaign was never intended to be a large-scale sky lanterns event and if I organise a large-scale sky lanterns event, obviously not during the lockdown, my first thought would be to ask full participation from local fire-fighter station and other local and responsible Authorities to gain their support in the eventuality that their assistance were needed.

In regards to the campaign in support of the NHS was never intended as large scale event. As stated by experts of Trading Standards Institute (Code of Practice – Sky Lanterns, 2014) “When used as intended in appropriate conditions and in small numbers, sky lanterns do not constitute a high risk. With a little care and consideration they can be enjoyed safely."

PS. We have never said to use LED tea-lights with sky lanterns, for obvious reasons. LED tea lights do NOT produce any heat which is the basic physic principle to enable the lantern to fly.

Asbestos is used to make the string fireproof, and the major issue with asbestos string is not only that it is highly contaminant, but we also noticed that the major issue with the asbestos string is that when the lantern is half way up it breaks and frees the wick/fuel cell, letting it to drop to the ground while still lit.

Our thoughts and prayers are with all families who have lost loved ones because of the Coronavirus COVID-19.
We feel obliged to thank all NHS staff and key workers who are putting their lives at risk to continue providing all essential products and services. In particular, we would like to show our greatest gratitude to all NHS professionals, who are on the frontline, caring for anyone who needs assistance and in particular, for the most vulnerable people

With deepest sadness and condemnation, nobody could ever expect that a respected Charity organisation, such as RSPCA, could adopt such a low marketing strategy to attract donations. It is unjustifiable that a Charity organisation desperate to generate income, rises additional funds by despising not only all reputable suppliers, such Night Sky Lanterns®, but RSPCA is also disregarding the operational study by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA), which was also fully financed with public money.

We could not agree more with DEFRA that the impact of sky lanterns is minor and “any actions we take must be proportionate to the level of risk”.

Moreover, we are pleased to reassure all our customers that the Government leniency will not ban future generations to enjoy the magical emotion when releasing a sky lantern.

We fully support, as DEFRA states, that “an outright ban would be disproportionate”.

We are totally shocked to hear about the terrible accidents at the zoo in Germany, which should have never happened. Our deepest sympathy to the sorrowing people of the zoo for their loss.