BROTHERS Simon and Daniel Maughan have been shortlisted in the ‘Fundraising Team of the Year’ category in this year’s RAF Benevolent Fund annual awards.
The nomination comes after the duo completed an epic fundraiser last year, echoing their grandfather Air Vice-Marshal Charles Maughan’s 1959 historic flight from London to Paris – by pedal power rather than air power. The original event was staged by the Daily Mail in 1959 to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1909 Bleriot flight from Calais to Dover.
AVM Maughan raced from Marble Arch to a helipad which took him to a waiting Hawker Hunter at Biggin Hill and across the Channel to the Arc de Triomphe in just 40 minutes and 44 seconds. Sixty years later, his grandsons tackled the same distance, in 40 hours and 40 minutes, raising more than £5,000 for the fund.
Simon, who lives in Frome said, “We are over the moon to be nominated, it wasn’t anything we expected. The bike ride was something we dreamed up a few years ago and we are very proud to have raised some money for a charity we feel needs support.”
Mike Straney, director of fundraising and communications at the RAF Benevolent Fund said, “This event was a brilliant way for Simon and Daniel to pay tribute to their grandfather’s achievements and fundraise at the same time. Their nomination for the ‘fundraising team of the year’ award is well deserved.
“Thanks to fundraisers like Simon and Daniel, we have been able to stand side by side with the RAF family for the past 100 years. That support has enabled the fund to be there whenever life gets tough, especially during this challenging year.”
Now in its eighth year, the RAF Benevolent Fund awards recognise the outstanding contributions of its supporters, personnel on stations and corporate partners who support the charity each year. The winners of eight categories were due to be announced during a virtual ceremony on October 13th.
The RAF Benevolent Fund is the RAF’s leading welfare charity, supporting RAF personnel past and present. If you know an RAF veteran in need, go to rafbf.org to find out how the fund could help.
Pictured: Brothers Daniel (left) and Simon (right) Maughan, with their father David (centre) at the finish line at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.