Pupils at the Percy Hedley Primary School were over the moon when an astronaut landed in their classroom, this week.

Colin Robinson from Space Tourism Company, Worldview Spaceflight visited the school, which provides education for children with cerebral palsy and communication difficulties to talk about Space with the children.

Colin’s visit to the school followed the donation of a three day Astronaut Training Experience for auction at the annual Percy Hedley Mistletoe Ball, which raised out of this world fundraising totals thanks to Worldview’s help.

The charity auction was the first stage in fundraising efforts for a £1.2 million hydrotherapy pool, which will be used to teach swimming and independence in water to disabled children and will provide a stimulating multi-sensory environment which the children can control with their own movements.

Colin said “I’m really pleased to have helped get fundraising off to such an impressive start. The new hydrotherapy pool is especially fitting because it creates the illusion of weightlessness meaning that all the children who use it will have a taste of what it’s like to be an astronaut!
The Percy Hedley Foundation is a really deserving charity and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting some of the children and helping them to understand more about space.”

The astronaut training donated by Worldview Spaceflight was eventually won by North East business man, Tom Maxfield. Tom will now be whisked away to the Worldview Spaceflight Training Centre to experience a rocket launch in the human centrifuge and go flying with ex-red arrow pilots in spectacular aerobatic aircraft.

Des Bustard, Director of Fundraising and Marketing at Percy Hedley said “The prize from Worldview Spaceflight was the highlight of the auction. We are really grateful to Colin for his generosity in making the Mistletoe Ball such a success and for his belief in the Percy Hedley Foundation”.

The Mistletoe Ball, which is held every year to raise vital funds for the Percy Hedley Foundation raised £80,000, with £48,000 coming from the auction. Donations to the Tim Carter Hydrotherapy Appeal can be made online at www.percyhedley.org.uk
 

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