An actress often described as a national treasure has set herself firmly behind a bid by a Moray group to obtain another national treasure – one of the RAF’s iconic Sea King SAR helicopters.
Through insideMoray ‘Absolutely Fabulous’ star Joanna Lumley has sent a message of support to the Morayvia group and their bid to obtain one of the Sea Kings when they go out of service at the end of March.
Ms Lumley is no stranger to the iconic aircraft setting out on rescue missions from their RAF Lossiemouth base – she is a regular visitor to the town where her son Jamie lives with his family and works as a professional photographer.
The star is no stranger either when it comes to taking on the Ministry of Defence, having successfully led the fight for the rights of former members of the Gurkha’s to settle in the UK when their service in the iconic regiment came to and end.
After learning of the Moray campaign Ms Lumley said: “What could be more thrilling than seeing a Sea King Search and Rescue helicopter up close?
“All my warmest good wishes go to Morayvia in their bid to buy one of these gentle giants.
“They have earned their place in history a thousand times over and I am proud to support this project with all my heart.”
Morayvia’s spokesman Mark Mair said: “We are delighted that Joanna has taken the trouble to back our campaign.
“Like thousands of people both here in Moray and throughout the UK she recognises the very special place the Sea King has in the hearts and minds of the public.
“Our campaign is gathering support from every corner of the country and hundreds have already signed an online petition calling for the Ministry of Defence to carefully consider allocating one of the two Sea King’s currently at RAF Lossiemouth to Morayvia’s site at Kinloss, where it can be cared for and preserved as a permanent reminder of the important role it played in saving the lives of thousands.”
Check out insideMoray on Friday when we support Morayvia’s mission by putting a very special limited edition print to auction.