We love following the adventures and fundraising antics of the lovely Rosie Thompson from Gillingham School. This is her latest exciting escapade. Please support her if you can 
Last year I wrote about my latest challenge of experiencing weightlessness flying out of New York. 10 days before I was due to fly I received notification that my flight was cancelled due to the aircraft being grounded as it required modifications. I still visited the Big Apple but vowed to try again so this year I’ll be flying out of Chicago, a city I’ve always wanted to visit and will be ascending a few of those high towers too as well as watching the Cubs play baseball! Once again I will be flying with a registered company in the USA who have already enabled 15,000 people to do something usually reserved for astronauts. A specially modified Boeing 727, flies a series of 15 parabolic manoevers up to 32000 feet, each one creating 20-30 seconds of weightlessness allowing numpties like me to float, flip and soar as if in space. There is a 40% chance I’ll lose my breakfast – it’s not called the “vomit comet” for nothing!
The charity I have chosen to support is the Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation. This was set up in 2013 to honour the life and legacy of Andrew “Bart” Simpson MBE, Olympic Gold and Silver medallist, Americas Cup sailor and truly inspirational role mod
el. Bart was Guest speaker at our School Sports Awards Evening in 2009 and my memories of that evening include passing his Beijing Gold medal round the room so all 400+ students, staff and parents could see the most prestigious prize in sport up close: he also showed such a genuine interest in the achievements of every student who asked for an autograph. It is the aim of the foundation to use Bart’s passion of sailing to transform the lives of young people. Bart’s other passion was his family, and far too many years ago it was my pleasure to teach his wife, Leah, now a Primary School colleague so there is a personal connection too. Finally Gillingham
School where I have taught for 29 years is celebrating its 500th anniversary this year so this is my own way of marking such a uniquely special event. Donations can be made at: https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/rosiethompson2
Finally, I recently lent a much treasured “Concorde” umbrella to a neighbour during a recent downpour bit sadly it was mislaid in Gillingham Town. I used it while doing tours around Alpha Foxtrot at Bristol when I was a volunteer guide, and it is irreplaceable. I believe in the honesty of the good people of this area and would like to think the person who found it is at a loss as to how to return it, so I am pledging £100 to my fund for its safe return. No questions will be asked and it can be returned to Main Reception at Gillingham School, Hardings Lane. Many thanks.
