Aircraft

Offered under public auction for the first time, a backseat ride with the Royal Air Force’s Red Arrows display team has netted an astonishing £1.5 million ($2.7 million) for UK military charity Help for Heroes.

An initial reserve of just £15,000 had been set for one person to secure the unique experience, but during a charity ball in London on 5 September the bidding rocketed after chief of the air staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy agreed to up the stakes.

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With all nine rear seats during a Red Arrows flight now on offer, Julie Heselden secured the increased prize, offering 100 times the original estimate.

“The bidding went beyond my wildest dreams,” says Heroes’ Ball committee chairman George Hewson. Launched in October 2007 to help injured service personnel returning from duty in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Help for Heroes charity has now raised more than £10.5 million.

The winning bidder is the wife of Jimi Heselden, managing director of Leeds-based firm Hesco Bastion. The company produces fortification systems which are widely used to provide perimeter protection to deployed forces around the world. “The Heroes’ Ball gave us the opportunity to offer our support to Help for Heroes and look after these brave men and women when they come back home too,” the company says.

“The RAF is genuinely delighted to have helped in raising such a fantastic amount of money for such a worthwhile charity,” the service says.

The Red Arrows’ 2008 display season concludes next month, with upcoming events scheduled in the UK, the Channel Islands, France, Malta and Monaco.

The Help for Heroes campaign hopes to raise a further £1 million through a charity rugby match to be staged at Twickenham stadium in London on 20 September.