Hundreds of supporters joined us for ‘Picnic with Peggy’ on Sunday 14th July. The event was held in the beautiful private grounds of Barcroft Hall in South Petherton, kindly hosted by Richard and Tracey Killen.

Unfortunately, Peggy was unable to make an appearance in person, due to working so hard and scheduled maintenance had to be brought forward. Her trusted sidekick, the MD902 Explorer (which we use when Peggy is being serviced) didn’t disappoint and drew in the crowds.

It was a fantastic afternoon of fun for the whole family, with lawn games, a Superhero fancy dress competition and sumptuous tea and cake to enjoy. Live musical performances by Oska Zaky, The Haus Band and Occasional Musique went down a treat!

The sun shone throughout the afternoon, enabling families to come together and relax with their own picnic, or enjoy the other hot and cold refreshments available. As our aircraft and Critical Care Team were operational from Barcroft Hall on the day, supporters were able to see them being tasked or returning from incidents. When on the ground, there were opportunities to get up close, see the aircraft and chat with the crew on duty.

There was a grand raffle and silent auction with many of the prizes being donated by local businesses. Charity Ambassadors Jenson Button and Paul Nicholls also provided special gifts.

The fancy dress competition was judged in three age categories: 0-3, 4-6 and 7-10. The respective winners were Amelia Charles as ‘Wonder Woman’, Lucy Seaman as ‘Lucy Elastic’ and Zac O’Sullivan as ‘The King’. All the winners received a Golden Ticket inviting them to come and meet the team at our Henstridge airbase.

Bill Sivewright, DSAA CEO said:

Despite the fact that Peggy was unable to attend, the day was a great success. The aim was to create an event that felt more like a fun afternoon with family and friends than a charity fundraiser. Thanks to the wonderful weather and the glorious setting, we certainly achieved that and so much more. Our thanks go to Richard and Tracey, owners of Barcroft Hall, who generously allowed us to use their beautiful garden to host the event. Others to whom we are grateful, are our sponsors who helped us provide refreshments and entertainment and all our staff, volunteers and crew members who worked so hard to make the day such a success. We do not know whether this will be a regular event in our calendar, but it is something we are certainly looking at very closely.

To view some of the pictures taken on the day, please click the following link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/e7PptwedMMWnsDes9