Andrew Phillips

Dr Emma Egging, who co-founded a charity in memory of her husband and Red Arrow pilot Jon Egging, will be joined by his air teammate in the Great North Run.

Jon Egging (Red 4) lost his life after an air display crash in 2011. Since, Emma has been helping disadvantaged children with the Jon Egging Trust charity and Blue Skies programme.

To raise money for the programme, Emma will complete the half marathon from Newcastle upon Tyne to South Shields on Sunday, September 7.

Joining Emma on her run will be several friends of Jon’s, including his Red Arrows teammate Chris Lyndon-Smith.

Also supporting in the run will be Mark Franzoni, who was one of Jon’s close friends at school and now teaches at Southam College – the school they both attended.

Emma said: “The Great North run and its association with the Red Arrows will always make it a particularly poignant race for me.

“It means a great deal to be running to raise money for the trust with so many of Jon’s friends. Fund raising initiatives like the GNR are absolutely vital to our success, as the majority of our programmes rely on the generosity of the public.

“A donation of just £45 would put one young person through a day on one of our Blue Skies Programmes, and help them to be the best they can be.”

Red Arrows pilot Chris Lyndon Smith promised to run the half marathon in his flying kit if he managed to hit his target of £3000.

He said: “Having spent the past few years flying in the opening flypast with the Red Arrows I have decided its now time to actually run.

“I hope to raise as much money as possible for the Jon Egging Trust. If I raise my target of £3000 I will run the event in my flying kit.”

People wishing to donate can do so via Emma’s JustGiving page, or Chris’s JustGiving page.

At the time of writing the pair have managed to raise almost £2,000.

A trio of swimmers from Lincoln-based construction company Lindum helped raise money for a local charity when they swam across Lake Windermere.

The ‘Lindum Trio’, Matt Tyers, Robbie Kok and Stuart Mitchell, raised £612 for Kesteven Children In Need (KCiN) when they completed the 1 mile swim as part of the Great North Swim event in June.

They raised £306 in sponsorship from generous colleagues and friends, which was then doubled by the Lindum Board of Directors.

Stuart Mitchell handed over the cheque to the KCiN Charity’s Treasurer, Alex Howard, on September 2 at Lindum Business Park.

Alex said: “As a voluntary charity we rely heavily on donations from the public to fund and resource our work.

“I would like to say a huge thank you to Stuart, Matt and Robbie for their impressive open-water swim to raise money for KCiN. Also, thank you to Lindum Group for their charitable support of doubling the donation.”

“This contribution will make a huge difference to improving the quality of life for children in Lincolnshire, we are extremely grateful and are proud to say that all the money raised will be going to worthy causes in the local area.”

The charity, run by only 10 volunteers, has been supporting children in difficult circumstances for over 50 years.

Covering the district council areas of North and South Kesteven, KCiN provides practical support to families and children, encouraging a standard for quality of life and helping to create a safe environment for mental, social and physical development.

Speaking on behalf of the Lindum swimmers, Stuart Mitchell said: ‘We’re delighted to have raised money which will go towards helping local families in need.

“What initially started as a fun idea turned out to be quite a challenge, especially when we experienced the effects of the freezing water! However, thanks the generous donations of our sponsors and the Lindum Board, it was all worthwhile.”