A PARACHUTE display drew attention to a Ferndown charity's fundraising event which collected £10,000 in honour of a Royal Marine.

The eighth annual John Thornton Young Achievers Foundation (JTYAF) VIP Hospitality Day at Bournemouth Air Festival saw the Tigers Freefall Parachute Display Team drop into the arena on the beach leading a trail of smoke seen by thousands of people.

In honour of John Thornton, a Ferndown resident who died in Afghanistan aged 22 in 2008, the parachute display team flew the JTYAF flag as they fell through the sky. Ticket holders at the event also got to enjoy the Red Arrows, the Sally B Flying Fortress, the Typhoon, the Blades and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

Pete Thornton, dad of John and chairman of the charity which he founded with wife, Linda, said that the day was a 'great success' which raised over £10,000 to help young people to achieve both their ambitions and potential in life.

He added: "It’s a big team effort and we are so grateful to the Barclays Team for their continued support with our VIP day.

"A wonderful team of Barclays Community Volunteers supported the event and the matched funding from Barclays added to the success of the day.

"We'd like to thank them and all our supporters and donors for making it such a great success this year and helping us to continue to make a difference to the lives of local young people."

In addition to the aircraft displays, people also took part in a silent auction and raffle, which featured a host of donations from local artists, organisations and individuals. These included a visit to Heathrow's control tower and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, which helped to boost both the raffle and silent auction to collectively raise almost £6,000.

Since it was founded, the charity, which is run by volunteers, has been able to hand out £410,000 to more than 1,000 young people.

The JTYAF supports young people from a number of youth organisations providing them with scholarships and bursaries which give them access to opportunities that they would not otherwise have had.

Recipients of the awards are selected for their commitment to their chosen activity and also their demonstration of the Foundation’s key values which courage, determination, selflessness and cheerfulness in adversity.