89-year-old Chris Jones from Knighton took on a daring wing walk challenge on Thursday, July 25, in a fundraising effort for Hope House Children’s Hospices, which saw him raise more than £4,600.
Chris and a group of nineteen others travelled to Rendcomb near Cirencester to wing walk with specialist company, AeroSuperBatics.
One by one, volunteers took to the air with ten participants raising money for Hope House Children’s Hospices and ten participants taking part for the Duke of Edinburgh awards.
This was the third year that husband and wife, Anthony and Vanessa Watts had organised a charity wing walk. Anthony told the Brecon & Radnor Express: “The first year we had eleven people join us. The second year we had 21 people including a celebrity, James Phelps, who played Fred Weasley in Harry Potter and we raised just over £30,000. This year we had 20 people join us for the wing walk.
“All in all, we’ve just got over £57,000 raised this year and it’s been very special this time as we’ve had Chris who is nearly 90 take part.”
Chris will turn 90-years-old on Christmas Day and still lives in the very same house he was born in, in Knighton.
He decided to go ahead with the wing walk after going to 'Feel the Music' Hope House charity concert in January, where he heard the story of a family with a young girl battling a brain tumour and how the charity supported the family and made the journey so special for her at the end of her life.
The story reduced Chris to tears and he declared to Anthony and the charity’s Chief Executive that he was going to do that wing walk.
Chris has raised over £4,600 (over £5,000 including gift aid) on his JustGiving page.
He took to the sky dressed as Lance Corporal Jones from BBC’s Dad’s Army, with a fitting catchphrase: ‘Don’t panic!’
Event organiser, Anthony said: “He’s a typical very old-fashioned gentleman. He volunteered to do this wing walk and we thought how can he dress up, as we encourage people usually to go in fancy dress.
“So we came up with an idea that he can go as Lance Corporal Jones from the old television programme, Dad’s Army, so I ordered loads of kit for him and we found a Radnorshire Home Guard cap badge. Everything he was wearing is an original except the side cap. He was such a great sport with it all.”
Before this experience, Chris had only flown once to Dublin in 1971.
Upon landing from his wing walk, Chris shook the pilots hand and exclaimed to the onlooking crowd: “I’m back!”
He also went on to say: “You can’t explain what it’s actually like unless you’ve done it. It was like time stood still, it was unbelievable.”
Amongst the nineteen others that took to the sky was celebrity Dwayne Fields, known for being Britain’s first black polar explorer and a television presenter.
Reflecting on the event, Anthony said: “We’re so pleased that Chris decided to do the wing walk. He’s the sweetest man you’ll ever meet and we’re really, really proud of everybody.
“Losing a child is the worst thing that can ever happen to parents and the rest of the family so we’re glad to organise these events. It was our third year and it’s been massive. I’m not sure how we’re going to top it next year.”
You can still donate to Chris’ JustGiving Page by visiting: https://www.justgiving.com/page/chris-jones-1706886884320
Or support Hope House & Ty Gobaith by visiting: https://www.hopehouse.org.uk