RED Arrows pilots completed a 400-mile cycle to raise money for a charity set up in memory of his colleague and best friend, Flt Lt Jon Egging.

Flt Lt Ben Plank, 32, from Stanford, took part in the Coast to Coast challenge, alongside 20 of his RAF colleagues, to raise funds for the Jon Egging Trust and two RAF charities.

The team managed to raise £25,000 for the Jon Egging Trust, which was set up in memory of Red Arrows pilot, Flt Lt Jon Egging, who died in August when his plane crashed during Bournemouth Air Festival.

Ben says that as a trustee of the newly-founded trust, he feels ‘immensely proud’ to be part of Flt Lt Jon Egging’s legacy.

He said: “The ride was far more gruelling than I had anticipated but was a lot of fun and we raised a lot of money for three great charities, The Wings Appeal, Fly2Help and the Jon Egging Trust.

He added: “To date we have raised £74,900, of which £24,900 goes to the trust.

“We completed the ride on schedule, which meant that we rode for nine hours a day over four days.

“We enjoyed a great amount of support on the route stopping at schools, fire stations, city centres and the odd pub for rest stops and were fortunate enough to have a great support team, who were on hand to help with bike maintenance and supply much- needed energy drinks.

Flt Lt Jon Egging’s wife, Emma Egging, also took part in the coast-to-coast cycle, taking the place of her late husband, who had planned to take part.

The Jon Egging Trust aims to raise tens of thousands of pounds towards helping to give young people from disadvantaged backgrounds new opportunities to help them achieve their potential.

For more information on the trust and how to get involved, visit the website Joneggingtrust.moonfruit.com