A BLIMP flew over Newport city centre yesterday - briefly - as part of a worldwide show of light-hearted defiance against the coronavirus pandemic.

The blimp, displaying the message 'up yours corona', appeared over the city to promote a BBC Radio 1 challenge, inviting people from every country in the world to phone in and shout the phrase in their own language.

The week-long challenge, started by Radio 1 DJ Greg James, was completed in the nick of time earlier today, just 20 minutes before the deadline.

"Not just 193 moments of silliness but 193 real life stories," Greg James said following the end of the challenge. "People uniting together and sharing their experiences of this awful disease."

The last nations to take part were the tiny Pacific island of Tuvalu (population 11,000) and the desert country of Mauritania, in north-west Africa; before a caller from the UK completed the list.

South Wales Argus: The Radio 1 'up yours corona' blimp is in flight above Newport's Kingsway Centre car park. Picture: Icon Creative DesignThe Radio 1 'up yours corona' blimp is in flight above Newport's Kingsway Centre car park. Picture: Icon Creative Design

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To coincide with the global phone-in, Radio 1 sent a promotional blimp to Newport, where it flew briefly above the Kingsway Centre car park yesterday lunchtime, before strong winds forced an early landing.

 

"We were delighted that Newport featured as part of this global campaign for BBC Radio 1," Colin Rees, operations manager at Kingsway Centre, said. "Everyone loves a blimp and to see it flying above the Kingsway car park was a great sight to see.

"Unfortunately our unpredictable British weather meant that the team had to bring the blimp down early due to high winds."

The blimp had had a more successful flight earlier that morning in Cardiff, floating above Bute Park.