IT was a case of up, up and away when Clock Creative Communications marked the launch of its support for Bury Hospice.

The company, based in Square Street, Ramsbottom, celebrated the occasion with a balloon race at Nuttall Park.

The Clock team released 312 yellow balloons, each one representing a member of staff or volunteer at the hospice. Unlike a traditional balloon race where the people who find the balloons win a prize, Clock have decided to donate prizes to the people who work for the hospice instead.

The agency chose the hospice as its official company charity for 2007/08 and Clock will support it by donating a day's work per month free of charge.

The company will help to raise the profile of the hospice and hopefully bring in much-needed cash. Its first project was to redesign the hospice's newsletter, which highlights the work the charity does and how money raised is spent.

Hospice fundraiser, Lesley Marsh, said: "We are delighted to have Clock on side for the coming year and we are really looking forward to working with the creative team."

Grace Grieve, PR and communications manager at Clock, commented: "We wanted to support a local charity where we could really make a difference, going beyond simply donating cash. We are using the combined skills of our integrated teams to raise the profile of this fantastic organisation."