Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I've known for many years about Dreamflight, but it wasn't until I was applying for the British Airways Future Pilot Programme (BAFPP) and preparing for the interviews that I fully understood the amazing work that the charity does.

Once a year, just under 200 children with a serious illness or disability from across the UK step on board a chartered Boeing 747 and make their way to Orlando, Florida for a holiday of a lifetime. No parents go with them, instead they board the plane with their new friends that they have just met at the pre-departure celebrity party and a team of medical carers that will look after them for the duration of the trip.

In Florida the children will spend their days at Disney's Magic Kingdom, Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure and SeaWorld, and they will also swim with dolphins at Discovery Cove. This will not only give the children lots of excitement, amazing memories and lots of new friends, but they'll also gain independence and confidence being away from their families. 

More information on Dreamflight can be found on their website here:

http://www.dreamflight.org/PRD/

It's something that has stuck with me since my interviews back in early 2013, and I vowed that at some point in my career I would do something to raise money in aid of the charity. The total cost of the Dreamflight trip per child is approximately £3,500, and is funded solely by voluntary contributions.

As many of you will know, I am currently out in New Zealand for 8 months as part of my BAFPP training. You may also know that I am a keen triathlete. So the fact that the Ironman 70.3 out here falls perfectly in my time here meant only one thing, I have to challenge myself to complete the event whilst also completing an already busy/demanding flying training course.

The event consists of a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride and a 13.1 mile run to round it all off. This will not be easy, especially as I'm going to have to juggle all the training around an already busy schedule, so any donation however small it may be, will give me that extra motivation to get out on the roads or in the pool, and really will go to an incredible cause.