THE Dartmoor Jailbreak is set to raise a record sum this year after the Sultana of Brunei donated £30,000.
Her Royal Highness Pengiran Isteri-Hjh Mariam, wife of the Sultan of Brunei, one of the richest men in the world, wrote out the monster cheque for jailbreakers Brian Cross and Richard Jinks of Plymouth company Medlogic Global at a special reception at the Brunei embassy in London last week.
Participants in the annual event have 48 hours to achieve some kind of record while 'on the run' from Dartmoor Prison, wearing the traditional arrowed uniforms or other disguises and without paying for transport.
All the money raised is divided between the Vranch House centre for children with cerebral palsy and St Luke's Hospice in Plymouth.
The two men had arranged to meet former Plymouth Argyle manager Mick Jones, now coach of the Brunei national team, but were getting desperate in their attempt to obtain the flights.
In fact, the tickets did not arrive until the day of the breakout after Brian contacted the Brunei High Commission and the Brunei desk at the Foreign Office, which managed to procure the tickets from the national airline.
Jailbreak organiser Sue Gould said: 'Brian rang and advised me to sit down before telling me the news.
'We are absolutely thrilled, particularly as we have just started work building a new classroom and playground at a cost of £100,000.'
The event was expected to raise £37,400 — £4,400 more than last year, and a record since the event began in 1984. The total will now top £67,000 to bring the running total to more than £376,000 raised for people with cerebral palsy during the past six years.