Aldingbourne mother completes charity wing walk in memory of 20-year-old daughter

In memory of her daughter Jess, Maxine North completed a wing walk on April 14 to raise money for charity Medical Detection Dogs.

Thanks to the support of friends, family and strangers, donations have now hit a staggering £54,321.

Once all donations have been collected, Maxine hopes the figure will reach £58,000 which will cover the cost of training two puppies to become assistance dogs.

The challenge involved walking along the wing of a Boeing Stearman which reached heights of 700ft and speeds of up to 110mph.

Speaking about the experience, Maxine said: “Doing the wing walk was one of the most surreal and extraordinary experiences of my life and I will never forget it.”

The Aldingbourne mum completed the wing walk with four friends and family members - Charlotte Taylor, Julie Markey Buckle, Olivia Eden and Lucy De Silva Puttick - who all volunteered to take part in honour of Jess.

Maxine said: "The wing walk will remain with me forever as it will for the other ladies that took part, I was so grateful to have had such an amazing bunch by my side."

Jess died at the age of 20 in May, 2021 from a severe allergic reaction after eating something which contained peanuts.

Due to this, and her love for dogs, the organisation 'seemed the right charity' to support to 'keep Jess's memory alive'.

Maxine added: “I wanted to do something positive for Jess and raise money and awareness for a charity that would benefit.

“Medical Alert Detection Dogs was the right choice due to Jess’ love of dogs and the fact that they help people with life threatening illnesses including allergies.

“Of course, it won’t bring Jess back, but it is very comforting to know that the money raised will help people in their day to day living to feel more confident with an alert dog by their side.”

If you would like to make a donation in Jess's memory, visit: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/maxine-north1

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