Ben's fundraiser for 2353 Ystrad Mynach Air Cadets
CI-Powell Wing Walking 9th August 2025 | To Raise Much Needed Funds For 2353 Ystrad Mynach Air Cadets
“Well, the event has been completed and what an experience!! Shortly after arrival, I was taken for a video safety briefing along with 4 others who were booked around the same time as myself. We then donned our glorious red flying suits ready to take to the skies.
I was 4th to fly and bit was I nervous!! My time had come, I was called over to the aircraft, climbed onto the top wing and I was strapped in by professional wing walker Jazzy (she was fantastic at calming my nerves).
As we taxied to our take-off area, Mike the pilot hit the power and at around 80mph we took off into the glorious Cotswolds countryside. Soaring around at about 130mph and 1000ft, we could see upwards of 40 miles in all directions, it was stunning!! There was a little turbulence which was to be expected but overall the flight was incredible!!! I would absolutely do it again!!”
Recently, on Saturday 9th August 2025, another of Civilian Instructor Powell’s ‘mad’ ideas has been delivered, after completing a 15,000ft charity skydive around 18 months ago for Wales Air Ambulance, he took to the air strapped to the top wing of a rather old, but majestic sounding plane.
Ben wished to raise money for the ATC (Air Training Corps) and directly 2353 Squadron, as he was a cadet from the age of 13 and had experienced most of the things the cadets still do today.
All money raised (minus the fee of being able to conduct this flight) is to be submitted into the squadron’s non public funds account, where at Squadron level, and with the assistance of the Civilian Committee; we raise our own funds to pay for items through the Non-Public Funds account, such as: Broadband Services, IT Equipment, Software, STEM Kits, Adventure Training Kit, Subsidised Trips etc, among many other items and activities that are not funded by the Ministry of Defence central annual grant for RAFAC.
It is very much a misconception that Air Cadets are solely funded by the Ministry Of Defence (MOD), we are not - they fund the property, building and maintenance, utility bills (not broadband) and certain insurances.
As an “Excepted” charity with an Exception No. W1865/96, we enjoy the status and fiscal benefits accorded to a registered charity and are required to comply with the key principles of charity law. In essence, we carry out all of our activities as a charity with a board of Trustee’s, and are regulated and monitored by the national RAF Air Cadets HQ’s, on behalf of the Charity Commission.
This is why to expand the experiences and learning of today’s cadets at the squadron, we as an active CivCom and in tandem with the Officer Commanding, need to fairly consistently look at ingenuious ways to raise funds for these purposes.
A video of Ben’s flight will be upload below in the coming days.
In the meantime, we have left Ben’s Just Giving page open for a little longer, so if you can support by way of a small donation to his endeavour, it would be hugely appreciated by all at 2353 Ystrad Mynach Air Cadets.
Thank you for this Ben, we’re all so very proud of your passion and “madness”.