FIVE-YEAR-OLD JACOB TO TACKLE HEIGHTS OF YORKSHIRE’S PEN-Y-GHENT IN AID OF RAF BENEVOLENT FUND

The aspiring ‘Fast Jet Pilot’ is looking to raise donations after receiving a special salute from the one and only Red Arrows

Top Gun @Jacob_The_Pilot is asking for donations, ahead of his planned trek to the top of one of Yorkshire’s tallest mountains.

Writing on his Just Giving page, five-year-old Jacob explains, “I am going to climb up Pen-Y-Ghent, one of Yorkshires highest mountains in my RAF Flying Suit with my Daddy supervising me. I’m hoping to raise as much money as possible for the RAF Benevolent Fund.”

Representing part of the Three Peaks Challenge, Pen-Y-Ghent stands at 2,277 feet tall (694m) and represents a walk of around 6 miles from Horton in Ribblesdale.

Talking about his inspiration for the challenge, the lover of “all things aircraft” revealed that a very special personal moment led him to searching for a way “to say thank you back.”

“Last month the RAF allowed one of my dreams to come true, I met the Red Arrows and got a salute from them just before their final display in the UK for 2019″, explained Jacob, before adding, “being only five-years-old I’m quite limited on what I can do, so with the help of my Daddy I’ve decided to walk up Pen-Y Ghent.”

The expedition is set to place at the end of August, weather permitting.

Added fundraising incentive

Setting a target of £5,000, Jacob has reached 80% of his target so far thanks to 304 supporters, but he hopes to raise even more, including enticing a generous donation from his own Dad.

Taking to twitter to announce his father’s offer whilst looking cool in his Royal Air Force kit, Jacob has confirmed his dad would be willing to donate £1 for each retweet and return message up to a maximum of £500.

So far the tweet has attracted almost 100 retweets, but not quite as many return messages and in a latter update, it appears Jacob’s father is a stickler for rules, so if retweeting please ensure to include a good luck reply!

The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund

Celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund is “the RAF’s leading welfare charity.”

Official guardian of the Bomber Command Memorial in Green Park, London, a tribute to the 55,573 crew who lost their lives during the Second-World-War, the charity that supports the RAF Family “through thick and thin” receives no regular Government funding and is entirely reliant on the public’s generous donations to support its ongoing work.

Links: @Jacob_The_Pilot; Salute for Jacob Charity Trek 2019; Pen-Y-Ghent; The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund; Red Arrows;