Warfield man, 95, performs wing-walk for wife's hospice

John Symmonds took to the skies strapped to the wing of a small plane

A 95-year-old man performed a wing-walk challenge to raise money for the hospice that cared for his late wife.

John Symmonds, from Warfield, Berkshire, took to the skies strapped to the wing of a plane on Tuesday for Thames Hospice.

And the nonagenarian could even be set for a Guinness World Record as the oldest wing-walker after his flight.

"It was quite an experience I have to say," Mr Symmonds said when he came back down to earth.

Thames Hospice is close to his heart after the staff cared for his late wife Ann at their home in 2021.

"The palliative team were so good to us, coming out any time of the day or night to make sure that Ann was comfortable and without pain as far as possible," he said.

"It took a lot of worry from me. Ann did not want to go in to a hospital, she wanted to be at home and Thames Hospice allowed her to do that and they were there right at the end and she just slipped away.

"I know it sounds peculiar but it was a sort of a wonderful moment really. To have their support, that's why I did it."

Mr Symmonds performed the daredevil feat to raise money for Thames Hospice

Touching back down at Rendcomb Airfield, in Gloucestershire, he said of his wing-walk: "It was great - slightly more bumpy than I thought it was going.

"It was very windy. My earplugs I was given - they were the first to go in about two seconds - but it was good, quite an experience."

He said he felt "great" that he had done it, adding: "Originally I was going to do something a bit more 'normal' but I thought that's really not going to cut it so I went for a wing-walk.

"The first person I told was one of my grandchildren and I told them not to tell anybody because I may chicken out of it in the end.

"But then I told somebody else, and somebody else so, of course, in the end you've got to do it. I was looking forward to it and it lived up to what I thought it was going to be."