HOSPITALS and residents in the south will receive a special flyby on Saturday from a Spitfire decorated in the names of people across the country recognised for their help and support during lockdown.

Cambridge based family owned businesses Aircraft Restoration Company are offering people the chance to nominate the name of a loved one that will be handwritten onto the blue photo-reconnaissance Spitfire to raise money for NHS Charities Together.

Having flown to mark the end of the Clap For Carers initiative, the fighter aircraft will take to the skies again to not only lift the spirits of those across the UK, but to also thank hospitals, communities and individuals for their efforts during the pandemic.

Founder & Managing Director of Aircraft Restoration Company John Romain said: “The response to our initial flight over the last 8pm #clapforourcarers Thursday was incredibly humbling, with hundreds of people from the local community sharing how wonderful it was to not only see the Spitfire, but also to read the message emblazoned across its wings.

“After such positive response we decided to leave the message painted on the Spitfire for the rest of the flying season, this is where the idea to hand write the names of the nation’s loved ones onto the aircraft to raise money for the NHS Charities Together began.”

Setting off from Goodwood Aerodrome at 3pm, the aircraft is due to fly past Poole Hospital at approximately 3.20pm and Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals at 3.25pm before heading to 10 other hospitals including Basingstoke, Reading and Oxford.

The names will be nominated by the public as a way of recognising small acts of kindness throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

To submit a name, members of the public need to donate a minimum of £10 via the company’s specific campaign’s JustGiving page, fundraising for the NHS Charities Together, whose funds support staff, patients and volunteers across the country.

In return for their donation, their nominated name will be one of those written on the Spitfire, which has an 80,000-name capacity.

Having opened the donation window on the NHS’s 72nd birthday on the Sunday July 5, the crowdfunding page has raised over £16,000 for the NHS Charities Together appeal.

The public will be able to view progress updates and carefully planned flight routes via the Aircraft Restoration Company Instagram, Facebook and website.

Flight routes are being updated throughout the duration of the donation window, which will close on Sunday September 20 to align with the Spitfire closing the show at the IWM Duxford’s Battle of Britain Air Show.

To nominate a loved one, visit justgiving.com/nhsspitfire, or to find out more, visit www.aircraftrestorationcompany.com.