Red Arrows engineers and support staff are tackling 1,000 hours of sports and fitness to raise money for children’s hospital wards. 

Over the next month, the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team is carrying out pre-season training overseas. While away in Croatia and Greece, team members are aiming to collectively contribute towards the 1,000-hour challenge by running, swimming, cycling and completing gym-based exercise. 

The target time is equivalent to the number of hours all Red Arrows aircraft will fly during the five-week training deployment, known as Springhawk. 

Team engineers, technicians and other ground crew hope people will back their charity work through donations and sponsorship. It follows a similar sports-inspired initiative last year, when Red Arrows personnel raised nearly £2000 for Rainforest and Safari children’s wards at United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust.