Dr Emma Egging paddleboards the River Witham for the Jon Egging Trust

The woman behind a charity which supports young people who struggle with confidence has completed a half marathon by paddleboard along the River Witham.

Dr Emma Egging, chief executive of Lincolnshire-based youth charity Jon Egging Trust (JET), stepped on to a paddleboard for only the fourth time to complete the distance along the Witham from Newark to Lincoln.

The event is the second of ten challenges Emma is undertaking as part of JET’s 10-year anniversary ‘JET10’ fundraising campaign.

Emma, who lives in Colsterworth, said: “The aim of my JET10 challenges are twofold. We want to shine a light on the vital work that we do to support young people who are struggling with confidence and finding it hard to engage in education.

"In addition, we are aiming to raise £100,000 to expand our programmes in the light of the coronavirus pandemic, so we’re really hoping that lots of people will get behind us through our JET10 fund-raising pages.”

Emma was joined by JET charity trustee Sam Porteous, and two former Red Arrows pilots Dan Lowse and Chris Lyndon-Smith.

Emma founded JET after the death of her husband, Flt Lt Jon Egging, a Red Arrows pilot, at the Bournemouth Air Show in 2011.

“Emma is a huge inspiration to us all,” said Chris. “Supporting her and the work the JET does is very important to me as I served alongside Jon in the Red Arrows. Seeing how the trust has expanded and positively affected the lives of tens of thousands of children is immensely satisfying and to play a small part in that is something I’m very proud of.”

Sam added: “It’s an honour to complete this event alongside Emma, and also to help to steer the Jon Egging Trust on its exciting journey as part of the trustee board.”

The paddleboard challenge comes hot on the heels of last weekend’s announcement that Emma is to be appointed an OBE for services to young people.

The weekend was made all the more special for the JET team by the launch of their new resource hub for schools, JET Inspired, which they have developed in partnership with the Red Arrows.

To donate to JET10 or learn more about the epic challenges Emma is undertaking this year, visit jet10.joneggingtrust.org.uk