Jon Egging 10 years on: Wife's gruelling challenge in Red Arrows pilot's memory

In honour of Jon, a memorial plaque will be unveiled at this year's Bournemouth Air Festival - with a poem titled 'My Future Dreams' engraved on it.  Credit: Red Arrows

The wife of a former Red Arrows pilot who died in a plane crash has taken on a gruelling challenge in his name to mark ten years since his death.

Flt Lt Jon Egging, who was from Rutland, died when his Hawk T1 plane crashed at Bournemouth Air Festival on August 20, 2011. An inquest into Jon's death heard it's likely he blacked out just before he crashed due to strong G-Forces. 

His wife, Emma, and a team from the Jon Egging Trust are taking on 10 fitness challenges.

So far it's included a 33 mile ultra-marathon along the Grantham Canal, a two & a half mile swim in The Lake District, and most recently a 20 mile hike across Derbyshire's Peak District.

“One of my colleagues said 'Emma. Why don't you do 10 challenges? Why do you only want to do one? It's the 10th anniversary.' And I'm not good at saying no. So I said of course.” 

Emma founded the Jon Egging Trust to empower young people, increase their self-esteem, confidence and encourage them to become role models in their communities.

In honour of Jon, a memorial plaque was unveiled on 20th August - the anniversary of the crash - with a poem titled 'My Future Dreams' engraved on it. 

“It's about celebrating Jon's legacy. But in those words and in that ethos it's also celebrating what our young people are, and what they can do. So it brings together everything that the Jon Egging Trust is about. And I'm just so incredibly proud.”