Thousands raised for Hope House at airfield fly-in and fair

It was chocks away for aviators and aircraft fans, who soared into the Shropshire skies recently, raising thousands of pounds for Hope House children’ hospice.

The Sherlowe Fly-In and Summer Fair this year raised £5,000 and marked the second year since Bob and Jill Pooler, the owners of Sherlowe Airfield, near High Ercall, Telford, reopened their 700-metre grass airstrip.

Some 27 aircrafts flew into the airfield on the day, supported by lots of vintage vehicles, music, a BBQ, tombola and raffle.

Coordinator at the airfield, Sue Hawkridge, said: “It was a wonderful, sunny day with lots of members of the public attending. It was great to see people enjoying watching the aeroplanes and soaking up the atmosphere.

“Of the 27 aircraft that flew in on the day, there were some interesting examples. A group of nine Bolkow aircraft came in, including three model 207s. There are only four of this model currently flying in the UK so, we were very lucky to get three of them at Sherlowe Airfield.

“We always try to put something back into the community with what we do at the airfield.

“We have always supported Hope House going back to the early days. What it does for local children and families is just amazing and we’re glad we were able to help support them in a small way.”

Hope House fundraiser Dawn Ball said: “We are so grateful to everyone at Sherlowe Airfield for all their efforts organising their fly-in and fair, and to everyone who helped raise money on the day.

“The amount of money raised is incredible and goes towards us helping local children with life-threatening conditions to live their best life and to receive the expert care they and their families need, free of charge.”

Find out how you can get involved and do something amazing to support local children and families at hopehouse.org.uk