On 3rd September, Loughborough Freemasons Tony Andrews and Digby Lund launched themselves off a cliff in Malaga to raise money for Leicestershire and Rutland’s 2022 Festival. The pair were joined by Digby’s wife, Yvonne, while Tony’s wife, Elanor, joined them for moral support.

Upon arrival at Almunecar, they were met by their pilots, Antonio and Jose, who arrived by air demonstrating how best to land. The intrepid trio were then taken up into the hills via a single track road with numerous hairpin bends. Having arranged the wing, the pilots set about strapping themselves and their guests into their harnesses after which a full safety briefing was given. They were then told to simply run down the slope until the ground fell away.

The flights down were very smooth, with Digby’s flight showing the advantage of being taller than Antonio when taking off from such a steep slope. A couple of steps and then into the blue yonder with amazing views out to sea and along the coast.

Tony said: “We were all lucky enough to have relatively good landings; though I did collect a lot of the beach in my shoes and some in my knees!”

Digby said: “Having all safely returned to terraferma, we exchanged feelings about our flights; the heightened heart rate before and during takeoff, the gradual relaxing as the flight continued and then the increasing tension as the ground rapidly approached. We all agreed the venture was well worthwhile and hope the donations will fully reflect our efforts.”

The Provincial Grand Master, David Hagger, said: “Congratulations to Digby and Tony for their fundraising efforts; I am pleased to learn they landed safely without harm.”

Watch the paragliders in action

The 2022 Festival aims to raise £1.8 million for the Masonic Charitable Foundation over the next 5 years.

You can still sponsor Digby and Tony here >>