Two weeks until air festival take-off (From Dorset Echo)

Two weeks until air festival take-off

9:00am Sunday 19th August 2012 in Your Letters

THERE are less than two weeks to take-off for one of Dorset’s biggest events.

This year’s Bournemouth Air Festival is just around the corner and the official brochure is now on sale, with organisers once again aiming to raise tens of thousands of pounds for charities.

Last year a wristband was given away with the brochure for the first time, with £1 of every £6 sale being split between good causes.

The fifth air festival is set to be the biggest yet, with an expanded Night Air programme including concerts with big-name acts.

The event between August 30 and September 2 is set to be a poignant one following the death of Red Arrows pilot Jon Egging after a display at the 2011 festival.

Air festival director Jon Weaver said: “With less than two weeks to go, we’re counting down the hours to the biggest air, sea and musical extravaganza this town has ever seen.

“We’ve got four packed days of activity to celebrate our fifth air festival and, after last year’s poignant events, we’ve put together a programme that we hope everyone will be proud of.”

This year’s charities benefiting from brochure sales will be the Jon Egging Trust, Hounds for Heroes and the Royal Navy Royal Marines Charity.

Jon added: “We cannot stress enough how important it is for air festival visitors to support these charities.

“And with the new addition of an updated on-line timetable with each bro-chure, everyone can have immediate access to all the action – in the air, on the music stages and at sea.

“Selling charity wristbands with the brochures last year raised an amazing £21,000. We want to raise more, so we’re repeating it again this year and would urge everyone in the town to show their support for these charities and wear a wristband with pride.”

The festival is welcoming back the Red Arrows, alongside favourites including the Sea Vixen and Miss Demeanour Hunter Jet performing together, two GR4 Tornadoes, the Breitling Wingwalkers and the Black Cats helicopters.

New for this year with the help of radio station Wave 105 are concerts at Boscombe Pier, including Rizzle Kicks, Newton Faulkner, Scouting for Girls, Lawson, Matt Cardle and more appearing.