An intrepid Ruddington woman took to the skies on Sunday 9 October in a daring wing walk to raise money for the Framework Knitters Museum on Chapel Street. Kathy Powis, Chair of the Friends of the Museum, has raised in excess of £4,000 for the Museum’s Redevelopment & Expansion Appeal.
Kathy, 64, described the experience: ‘It really was amazing. I love planes anyway but this was something else entirely! The wind was incredibly strong and cold, but it was just so exhilarating to be flying at 500 feet with not much between me and the ground!’
This outstanding feat involved standing on the wing of a Stearman bi-plane for 15 minutes as it flew at speeds of up to 105mph over the Leicestershire countryside. A group of friends comprising 13 adults, one excited 3 year old boy and a dog, went along to Leicester Airport to cheer Kathy on – all glad it wasn’t them up there! A welcoming glass of champagne awaited her safe landing.
Kathy, who has been at the Museum for 18 years, decided to take up the wing walk challenge in response to the Trustees’ appeal to the volunteers to “do something quirky” to raise funds. She explained, ‘A wing walk was already on my bucket list so it seemed the obvious thing to do.’
For more information about the Framework Knitters Museum and the Redevelopment & Expansion Appeal, please visit www.framework knittersmuseum.org.uk.
Kathy Powis