Christmas eve flight over Bognor Regis raises £900 for disability charity

Fireworks and LED lights lit up the sky over Bognor Regis this Christmas Eve as a motorglider took to the skies over Bognor Regis pier.
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The £900 raised by the flight, which took place at approximately 5pm, will go to aerobility; a UK-based charity which gives disabled people the chance to fly an aeroplane.

Organiser and AeroSPARX stunt team pilot Guy Westgate was delighted with the £900 figure, which was £400 over his original target.

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"What's even more impressive than the money is the number of people who gave something." Mr Westgate, a registered gliding instructor, said. "91 separate people donated. 91 separate people engaged with my silly project, which I'm blown away by. I almost don't care about the money, it's the fact that nearly 100 people felt strongly enough about what I did that they gave something. I think that's amazing.

The Christmas Eve flight featured fireworks and LED lights. Photo: John RichardsonThe Christmas Eve flight featured fireworks and LED lights. Photo: John Richardson
The Christmas Eve flight featured fireworks and LED lights. Photo: John Richardson

"The feedback has just been astounding," he added. "The number of positive comments has been overwhelming."

Alongside the flight, AeroSPARX also organised a photo competition, offering a free trial lesson to whoever snapped the most popular pic of the motorised glider in action.

Despite only planning for one winner, organisers eventually picked two: 83-year-old John Richardson and 16-year-old Charlie Bowness, both of whom will be taking to the skies later this year.

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"I'm a bit of an amateur snapper, and I heard about the flight, so I went down on to the pier and took loads of photographs. I just picked out the best one and, luckily enough, people voted for it," Mr Richardson said.

Although he has been in a glider before, Mr Richardson said he is especially looking forward to flying over Bognor, even if only to take photos from an entirely new perspective.

Similarly surprised by her success is Charlie Bowness, a Bognor Regis teenager whose video of the flight earned her a chance to soar through the clouds herself, a prospect she finds exhilarating and scary in equal measure: "I'm excited because it's not something you get to do everyday, but I'm also quite nervous because there's no engine," she said.

Even so, she insists she is surprised by her win; "I wasn't expecting anything, really. It was just a bit of fun," she said.

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"Mum found out about the competition and she encouraged me to take part. So, I literally went to the pier straight from work and started recording on my phone. I posted it on Bognor Regis Matters, and Aerosparx got in touch with me."