CONGRATULATIONS to the Evening Press on their top award in Newsquest's the Launch Of The Year category (March 16).

How appropriate - the staff that came up with the slogan "Easy to pick up - hard to put down", it should win a bottle of champagne! But did I win the readers' compact balloon race?

It took six months for my promotional balloon to travel from King's Square, York to a cupboard in my kitchen and it has been compacting ever since.

Dale Minks,

Ancress Walk,

York.

Updated: 09:39 Tuesday, March 22, 2005