The charity event is in aid of Wings for Warriors (WFW) a fabulous charity, which gives wounded or injured servicemen and women a future worth fighting for by training them as professional pilots.

Why am I supporting this charity?

Let me tell you a story about a remarkable young man that has been given a bright future after being discharged from the Royal Marines (RM), following cancer treatment.

James, aged 24 at the time, managed to complete the Royal Marine Commando training with a 13cm tumour (The Squatter) growing around his spine, which was, unbeknown to him growing rapidly. Shortly after passing out, as one of the original 55 that started (only 13 passed out in this class), James became unwell and was diagnosed with a rare form of 'Ewings Sarcoma' in early 2020, thankfully he is now in remission.

Ewings Sarcoma is an aggressive bone cancer, predominantly found in young people/children and is typically in the pelvis or below the waist. 'The Squatter' eventually grew so big it crushed his spinal cord which led to severe back pain and the loss of mobility. Luckily, James had emergency surgery to the spine followed by 28 cycles of intensive chemotherapy and proton beam therapy, which was led by an amazing team of doctors and consultants from Oswestry Orthopaedic Hospital and Christie's Hospital. It was quite unbelievable, that this young man with his 'Squatter' managed to complete RM course and the 4 Commando tests, with the final yomp of 30 miles across Dartmoor, being known for one of the most physically challenging tests to exist in the Military.

Fast forward to 2022, he applied for WFW support and passed their assessment and selection process after gaining a CAA Class 1 medical. WFW were able to provide funding (with the help of SSAFA, The Walker Charity, The RM Charity and The Royal Greenwich Hospital) for James to obtain his private pilots licence. James is going from strength to strength and has just been awarded 'Best Student' at the Shropshire Aero Club (Sleap Airfield). He is clearly a natural, James is now at Skyborne Academy where he has started a gruelling 6 months learning the theory required for a First Officer. James is now well on his way to 'his second' dream career of becoming an airline pilot, thanks to Wings for Warriors.

None of this would have been possible without the help, support and funding from WFW and their donors. With this in mind, James' family (proud team of commandos) would like to give something back, which will enable this fantastic charity to continue to help the injured and sick servicemen and women of today and tomorrow.

You can help more people like James by;

Providing a fabulous prize that can be won in a raffle
Providing a gift that can be auctioned and won by the highest bidder
Buy tickets for the charity event at £50pp which includes a three-course meal at Netley Hall.

By giving, you will help the next 'James Tudor-Taylor' achieve their dreams and believe that they still have a future and fulfil their dreams.