The Ely fiancé of one two friends killed in a road crash on the A10 in February 2015 will strap herself to the top of a biplane to raise funds for road safety charity Brake.
Emma Shackleton will take to the skies over Essex at the end of this month for a hair raising money raiser in memory of her fiancé Andrew Thornewell of Hollendale Walk, Ely.
Andrew was killed in a road crash, aged just 28, when the car he was travelling in was involved in a head-on collision. Close friend Timothy Wildbore, 24, of Victoria Street, Littleport, was also killed. Both men worked at R J Herbert Engineering near Wisbech.
Emma said: “So many people miss Andrew and so in his memory I’m undertaking this ‘walk walk’ to celebrate his life and raise money for a charity dedicated to preventing road death and injury and supporting those bereaved and injured in road crashes.”
Wing walking is a new fundraising opportunity. Until recently it was only permitted by certified professionals, but thanks to the CAA changing its rules, it’s now possible to take part in the exciting event as a fundraising challenge.
Emma is the first Brake fundraiser ever to wing walk and has been told to expect the feeling of free-falling, but rather than it being over in a matter of seconds participants have 10 minutes to soak up all the adrenaline and atmosphere.
On her JustGiving page she wrote: “I have decided to raise money for Brake because road safety affects everyone and for some people, it changes everything.
“Brake works with communities and organisations across the UK to stop the tragedy of road deaths and injuries as well as support people bereaved and seriously injured on roads.
“In 2015 alone there were a total of 186,209 reported road casualties. Of this total figure 1,732 people were killed and 22,137 were seriously injured in road traffic accidents in Great Britain throughout the year.”
The event takes place on Saturday April 29 at Damyns Hall Aerodrome, Upminister.
She said: “Raising money for this charity is something I am passionate about so any donation you can make is a step towards me reaching my goal and a step towards raising the awareness of road safety and preventing fatal loss like this for families in the future”.
* Mitchell Butler-Eldridge, 28, of Sydney Terrace, King’s Lynn, appeared at Cambridge Crown Court last September after pleading guilty to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving. He was jailed for five years.
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