Ceremony held in memory of Red Arrows pilot Jon Egging

Council dignitaries and representatives from the namesake youth charity Jon Egging Trust (JET) attended the service at the Jon Egging Memorial in East Cliff on Saturday (August 20) afternoon.

Flt Lt Egging died when his Hawk aircraft crashed shortly after a Red Arrows display at the 2011 Bournemouth Air Festival.

A few words were first spoken by Bournemouth mayor Cllr Bob Lawton, who said: “This memorial is a fitting tribute to Jon, the Red Arrows and a mark of the respect that the people of Bournemouth have for his memory and the Trust.”

Ceremony held in memory of Red Arrows pilot Jon Egging in Bournemouth

Visitors tied red ribbons and roses to the memorial structure, which was designed in 2011 by children from Kinson Primary School.

Before a minute of silence was held, JET’s regional manager for the south Kaye Jackson told the Echo: “We work with children all around the UK who are vulnerable and don’t get the exposure to opportunities that some other children do.

“In the eleven years since we’ve been going, we have worked with 32,000 children nationwide, it’s just amazing. It’s about having belief in young people in Jon’s name.

“The opportunities we get here in Dorset are fantastic too. The team at the National Air Traffic Service (NATS) are big supporters of our students as are Bournemouth University and even local entrepreneurs like Jim Cregan from Jimmy’s Iced Coffee, who teaches our children that anything is possible.”

Ceremony held in memory of Red Arrows pilot Jon Egging in Bournemouth

Another person to tie a ribbon to the memorial was William Mead, who was just five years old and at the beach on the day that Flt Lt Egging died.

In the years since, and now aged 16, he has raised hundreds for the Trust by selling calendars filled with his aviation photography.

He is now halfway through obtaining his private pilot licence.