Chips down for aviation museum’s latest exhibit   (posted 31/05/2007)

THE chips are down for Bournemouth Aviation Museum’s latest exhibit thanks to the generosity of a Dorset organics recycling firm.

Eco Composting (Eco) has donated a tonne of recycled woodchip for dressing the area around the front fuselage of a Vickers Viscount 806.

The 49-year-old aircraft has been put on permanent external display at the museum and the woodchip, which is made from chipped logs, will be used to keep weeds at bay.

Grateful staff say donations from companies such as Eco are a huge help in running the museum.

Colin ‘Chris’ Christie, Joint Manager, said: “As a charity run entirely by unpaid volunteers we like to use every hard-earned penny for preserving historic aircraft. We’re very grateful to Eco for their generous donation.”

Andy Hill, Eco’s Sales and Marketing Director, said: “We are great supporters of Bournemouth Aviation Museum and have helped them out in the past. When the call came we were only too pleased to assist.”

The newly-acquired Viscount 806, which is painted in Parcel Force International livery, was built for the former British European Airways as G-AOYN. She first took to the air in March 1958 bearing the name ‘Sir Isaac Newton.’.

During a 38-year career the Viscount also saw service with Cambrian Airways, British Airways and British Air Ferries before being re-registered as G-OPAS in 1994.

Her last two years were spent on a mail contract for Parcel Force International before her flying days ended in 1996. She was broken up the following year but her nose was saved and preserved by the Duxford Aviation Society at Duxford, Cambridgeshire.

The society has now loaned the Viscount to Bournemouth Aviation Museum, the UK’s only charitable museum dedicated to preserving and presenting historic aircraft, including operational examples.

ENDS

Picture caption: Chips down: Eco’s Andy Hill (centre) with (left) Ivan Halstead and Mike Garrigan of Bournemouth Aviation Museum.

Editor’s Note: Founded in 1994, Eco Composting is one of the UK’s leading organics recycling firms, annually processing 120,000 tonnes of material on its 14-acre site at Parley, Dorset. End products include turf, enriched topsoil, compost and woodchip. Eco employs 23 staff and recorded a £3.5m turnover in the year to December 31, 2006.

For more information please contact Andy Hill, Sales and Marketing Director, Eco Composting, on 01202 593601 or Andrew Diprose, PR Account Director, Deep South Media on 01202 534487.