TWO young pupils from Kinson Primary School will help to create a lasting tribute to tragic Red Arrow pilot Jon Egging.

Penny Vallier, 10, and George Cutler, nine, are celebrating after winning a competition to design a memorial to Flight Lieutenant Egging, who died following a Red Arrows display at last year’s Bournemouth Air Festival.

They and fellow members of Kinson School’s Nurture Group will now work with artist Tim Ward, Jon’s widow Emma and his mother Dawn to come up with a final design for a memorial that will go on Bournemouth’s East Cliff.

Mr Ward, who sat on the judging panel, said it was a hard decision to make.

He said: “We will now work with the pupils, go in to the school for several days, take them to the site where the sculpture will be and take it from being a flat drawing to actually being built.”

When asked about his ideas for the sculpture, he said: “Personally I would like to think it will be quite tall, very dramatic against the sea and sky and give a feel of what Jon Egging was doing.

“There is a responsibility there to get this project right. I just feel quite proud that a trust has been placed in me to work with Emma and Dawn and the pupils to deliver something that’s going to be really good.”

Dawn said: “Every painting, every picture has shown that they have really thought about it.”

And Emma, 33, added: “What I love especially about the winning group is they have captured Jon.

“It’s not just about one thing, it’s about his love of flying, his love of the outdoors which we explored together and the idea that he was part of the team.

“If that’s what the memorial can represent it will tick every box.”