Keep your eyes peeled for Santa’s sleigh in Bognor Regis

Organisers say the glider, piloted by members of pyrotechnic display team AeroSPARX, will be in the air around the Bognor Regis pier at 5pm, lighting up the skies with LED lights and fireworks.

One of Santa’s assistants and registered gliding instructor Guy Westgate said the idea for the flight came about after a practice flight for his licence.

“I did a flight with an examiner on board and we fired some fireworks off the wings as part of my annual checks,” he said.

“I was bowled away by the public engagement on Facebook and social media.

“People in Bognor saw what we did and liked it, so a few people independently came up and said ‘can you do the same thing for Christmas? Because all my kids have seen it and they said it was like Santa’s coming.’

“So we had this lovely idea of doing exactly the same thing over Christmas.”

The flight will also be raising money for the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) and disability charity Aerobility, which gives disabled people the chance to fly an aeroplane.

Mr Westgate volunteers with Aerobility himself and says it is a cause close to his heart. “I’ve been involved for six years now. I get a huge amount of fulfilment out of helping disabled people fly and in giving them the same opportunities and experience as anyone else.”

To find out more and donate, search for AeroSPARX on JustGiving.