Father And Son, 7, Raise More Than £22,000 For RAF Charity

A father and his seven-year-old son have raised more than £22,000 for an RAF charity by completing a two-day walking challenge.

Andy Newson and his son Jacob walked 30 miles from near the former RAF Manston in Ramsgate, Kent, along the coast to the Battle of Britain Memorial, near Folkestone, to raise money for the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund.

The pair from Leeds battled the weather during the challenge, walking through 50mph winds in order to finish on time on Saturday which was not only Jacob's seventh birthday but also the 80th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Britain. 

The youngster - an aspiring pilot - completed the challenge in an RAF flying suit.

Andrea Newson, Jacob’s mother, said it was "very emotional" seeing them finish the walk.

She told Forces News: "I burst into tears and had to hide behind a tree.

"Bursting with pride and just completely and utterly amazed."

Mr Newson said the challenge had been a "long time coming" after coronavirus scuppered their original fundraising plans.

He said: "Initially we were going to go to Dunkirk and do a challenge over there, but obviously with COVID and everything going on it stopped us.

"We just really felt we needed to do something this year for the charity."