IT may have raised £7,000 for charity, but Second World War pilot Colin Bell’s visit to Jersey in May now seems rather tame compared with his latest fundraising efforts.
The 102-year-old Mosquito bomber pilot is abseiling 17 storeys down the Royal London Hospital – the highest elevated helipad in Europe – on 14 September. This follows a sponsored walk he undertook last month[August].
The retired Flight Lieutenant – who flew 50 operations over wartime Germany as a member of the Light Night Striking Force, part of Bomber Command’s Pathfinder group – spoke to a captivated Jersey audience about his experiences three months ago.
Sponsored by Ravenscroft, the evening raised funds for the Jersey branch of the Royal Air Forces Association and Tunbridge Wells’ Hospice in the Weald, which cared for his late wife.
Now the veteran, one of the few surviving pilots of the Second World War, has decided to mark the summer in his own characteristic way.
‘I may be 102-years-old, but I still want to do my bit to raise much-needed funding for three amazing charities: London’s Air Ambulance, the Royal College of Nursing Foundation, and the RAF Benevolent Fund.
‘I have decided to do this by undertaking two challenges – a sponsored walk at places significant to my wartime role flying Mosquito Bombers and an abseil.
‘I am glad to be doing something – quite frankly at my age, I am glad to be doing anything,’ Mr Bell said.
Islanders gripped in May by Mr Bell’s descriptions of flying over heavily defended enemy territory, who want to support his latest efforts, can do so using his JustGiving pages.
There are three separate links for each of the beneficiary charities:
London’s Air Ambulance: justgiving.com/page/colin-bell-1692440537362?utm_term=xBgVypXPK.
The Royal College of Nursing Foundation: justgiving.com/page/colin-bell-1692445407526?utm_term=wQmQdKgw7.
The RAF Benevolent Fund: justgiving.com/page/colin-bell-1692447983693?utm_term=KP6rW3WPN.
