A NATIONAL charity for blind ex-servicemen and women has now registered for the Westcountry Balloon Fiesta this weekend at Tavistock College. The St Dunstan?s balloon will be flown by 36-year-old Jamie Weller from Nottingham who lost his sight some 15 years ago due to cone dystrophy, a degenerative eye condition. Jamie was an aircraft engineer in the Royal Navy. When asked a couple of years ago about what he wanted to do, Jamie said he would love to fly in helicopters. St Dunstan?s, which has recently acquired a hot air balloon, suggested Jamie considered learning to fly in this somewhat slower mode of transport. Reluctant to start with, Jamie soon realised this was something he would like to do and eventually went to a training school in Italy to learn to fly. Now Jamie has logged nearly 30 hours of piloting the St Dunstan?s balloon and will for the first time fly in Tavistock where he will be accompanied by co-pilot Phil Saunders. Jamie?s next ambition is to obtain his private pilot?s licence and is currently in discussions with the CAA on just how this can be achieved. His determination to overcome his blindness and his commitment to St Dunstan?s has been honoured by the City of London at a ceremony in Mansion House last year. ? he was awarded the Freedom of the City of London along with other St Dunstaners. The Lions Club of Tavistock and Tavistock Round Table, joint organisers of the fiesta, said they were delighted Jamie would be flying in Tavistock. They also look forward to welcoming around 50 other pilots and their crews who have registered to attend this year?s fiesta, sponsored by Redrow Homes. The event is returning to its original home of Tavistock College where the gates will open at 2pm on both Saturday and Sunday with the mass ascents scheduled for around 6.30pm, with a balloon glow at dusk on the Saturday. Entrance is £5 per car (up to five passengers) and parking, and £1 for those arriving on foot.
