Daring wing walkers raise more than £12,000 for charity
A group of brave wing walkers has raised £12,500 for a county charity by taking to the skies.
The daring group of 11 professionals, ranging from teachers and GPs to accountants and car dealers, were assembled by husband-and-wife team Anthony and Vanessa Watts from Knighton, to take on the challenge for Hope House children's hospices.
The group was flown 600ft into the air atop of a 1940s Boeing Stearman, reaching speeds of up to 140mph as they dipped, weaved and looped through the air – with some members going up more than once.
The group raised some £7,500, with property developers Inside Land from Nottinghamshire donating £5,000.
“What an incredible experience,” said Anthony. “We are long-time supporters of Hope House, and wanted to get more people involved in our fundraising efforts – and what a superb amount we have been able to raise.
“The day was fantastic and we celebrated raising such a fantastic amount of money with a special cake and some drinks afterwards.
“I am so grateful to all of my fellow wing walkers who travelled from all over the UK to take part, without them we wouldn’t have raised this money, and I’m also grateful to our friends at Inside Land for its generous donation on top of what we raised on the day to support seriously ill children and their families.
“We can’t wait to take on our next fundraising challenge, and are planning make this day even bigger and better next year.”
Fundraiser Lisa Courtney said: “We are so grateful to Anthony and Vanessa and their incredible team for completing their wing walking challenge and raising such an unbelievable amount of money.
“We need to raise £7.5 million a year to care for seriously ill local children and families, and without support like this, we simply wouldn’t be able to be there for those that need us the most.
“We can’t wait to see what the Watts family has in store next.”
People can still donate to the team by visiting hopehouse.org.uk/watts-wing-walk.
