The husband of a former mayor has taken on a daring wing walk, raising almost £1,000 for charity.

Dr Andy Taylor, who was consort of Cllr Diane Taylor when she was mayor of Basingstoke and Deane between 2019 and May 2021, took on the challenge in order to raise money for Sebastian's Action Trust.

The Trust, which offers emotional, social and practical care for life-limited and life-threatened children and their families, and has its flagship facility in North Waltham, was one of Cllr Taylor's nominated charities during her second year of her mayorship. However, because of the Covid pandemic, she was unable to raise much money for them.

Basingstoke Gazette:

This led to her husband Andy deciding to "redress the balance a little".

The 70-year-old received a wing walk at Compton Abbas near Salisbury as a birthday present, and decided to raise money whilst he was at it.

He told The Gazette: “I have done a number of mad exploits over the years, but wing-walking has eluded me because there is a legal weight limit which I have exceeded by more than a stone for years.

"However, I have lost so much weight over the past few months that I am now well within the limit. So, no more excuses!”

Basingstoke Gazette:

The pastor at Basingstoke Community Churches added: “My 70th birthday was back in May and my family together gave me the wing walk as a present.

"This was the best birthday present ever as it was one of the great experiences of my life and, if I can help the work of Sebastian’s Action Trust just a little in the process, that is just great!”

Andy set himself a target of raising £1,000, and at the time of writing, is extremely close to hitting that target.

You can donate here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/andy-taylor551.