At the end of November, a Voyager of No 10 Squadron flew to Nairobi in Kenya with 50 cuddly giraffes onboard to help raise money for Great Ormond Street Childrens Hospital.
The flight was the third “Flight of the Giraffes” organised by Flight Lieutenant Mark Scott, a pilot on Voyager. He was joined by Officer Commanding 10 Squadron, Wing Commander Jim Rycroft and 8 cabin crew for the air transport task to bring infantry personnel home after Exercise Haraka Storm with the Kenyan Defence Force.
Flight Lieutenant Scott said:
“I have worked with the charity Giraffes On Tour for a couple of years now with their fundraising efforts for Great Ormond Street Hospital, and following our two very successful air-to-air refuelling missions in the UK I thought it would be nice to see if we could somehow go further afield. We fly to Nairobi quite frequently, and when one of those tasks appeared on my schedule, I thought it was the perfect opportunity! The number on board essentially boiled down to ‘how many giraffes can we fit in a suitcase?!’. The giraffes were sold online before the flight, and now we are safely home they will be sent to their new owners with a patch and a boarding card to mark the occasion.”
Flight Lieutenant Scott
No 10 Squadron pilot
Previous flights with giraffes had seen up to 500 loaded onto the Voyager, but with the logistics of long-haul flying and passing through an international airport it was decided a more manageable 50 special giraffe passengers would join the crew for the mission.
The crew were joined on the flight by Ian Conway, director of Giraffes On Tour who has a very personal connection to Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Ian said:
“When my daughter Louise was a patient there her cuddly giraffe Geoffrey was her constant companion. Since she passed away I have been so blown away by all the RAF pilots and crews who have taken Geoffrey into their hearts and flown him all over the world. The “Flight of The Giraffes” which Voyager have organised have been such a touching tribute, and I know Louise would have absolutely loved watching all the fun being had in her memory.”
Ian Conway
Director of Giraffes On Tour
In total, the three “Flight of the Giraffes” events have raised over £22,000 for Giraffes on Tour, a number which keeps rising as more people hear the story of the charity.
