One of our team, Brigitte Baker, the Academy’s Attraction Manager, recently stepped outside her comfort zone and stepped on to the wing of a bi plane to raise money for charity.
She participated in an event to help raise money for the St. James’s Place Charitable Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the St. James’s Place Wealth Management Group, which over the past 28 years, has raised over £100 million, supporting charities to make transformational change to people's lives in the UK and overseas. A novice to wing walking on a bi plane, she recounts some of her highlights from the event held on 8 September at Royal Flying Corps Rendcomb Airfield in Cirencester.
“It was THE most incredible and exhilarating experience. Weather held up on the day – perfect conditions for the morning group but large dark clouds appeared during the afternoon and the wind picked up - adding an element of additional excitement. Leading up to the big day, I’d watched videos about wing walking so when I was clambering on to the bi-plane, it felt strangely familiar but definitely a little surreal! Amazingly, at no stage did I feel fear, just intense excitement and curiosity.
We reached 140 mph and towards the end, did one steep climb then the plane slowly tipped to nosedive the ground. My face got the most amazing aggressive massage and it became impossible to breathe. The wind pressures and those G-forces, phew. The views from the sky were fantastic.
I’m chuffed to have raised £1,263 which exceeded my initial £1,000 target and with. And with SJP’s matching, the Charitable Foundation received a total of £2,526.
The thrill lives on. I grin like a Cheshire cat whenever someone asks me about it. It’s definitely ‘up there’ (excuse the pun) on my list of challenges I’ve clocked up in my lifetime!.”