Swedish Cape-to-Cape flight aids Western Cape children and reading

(Cape Town – 21 October, 2015) On Saturday 24 October, Swedish pilot Johan Wiklund will land his open-cockpit Moth biplane in Stellenbosch, South Africa, completing an epic Cape-to-Cape flight from Northern Scandinavia.

Johan will be met at the Stellenbosch Airfield by Cape Town-based charity Children’s Book Network together with a group of school-age children from Red Hill settlement outside Simon’s Town.

The connection? Johan, who has part-funded his trip through crowd-sourcing platform FundedByMe, has pledged to donate any remaining money from his trip to the non-profit organisation, which runs reading and writing-based workshops that include song-writing, puppets, dancing, craft and painting.

Johan said: “The goal of my adventure is not just flying from the North Cape (Sweden) to the Cape of Good Hope. While I hope to cover the costs of the trip itself through private funding and sponsors, I also aim to raise money for Children’s Book Network’s to help them ‘make reading cool’.”

Johan, an airline pilot with Swedish aviation company SAS, started his flight in July 2015 when he took off from the North Cape in Norway in a 1935 De Havilland 60 Moth biplane. In early September, the second part of his journey saw him fly from Stockholm Barkarby Airport. And on Saturday 24 October, he will fly over the Cape of Good Hope before landing in Stellenbosch.

Johan is due to arrive at Stellenbosch Airfield on Saturday 24 October at 15h10* where the children from Red Hill will perform a song written for the occasion.

Children to welcome pilot with song

Commenting on becoming a beneficiary of Cape-to-Cape 2015, Lesley Beake, co-founder of the Children’s Book Network, said: “Our goal is to bring books to children and children to books by making reading fun and exciting as well as useful.

“The children will be part of a workshop on courage – in life as well as in small aeroplanes – with singer-poet Blaq Pearl. They will write their own song of welcome to the pilot. We hope to bring to them an understanding of bravery in small aspects of life as well as big adventures. Children demonstrate courage every day, in everything they do.

Lesley added: “Joining us at this special event will be Michael, a boy from Red Hill, who during a workshop three years ago told us that he wanted to be a pilot. He will be presenting a small donation of South African books for children to read in Sweden and will also have a chance to go up in the plane.”

Author: Rose Bundock from .
More Info link: https://www.childrensbook.co.za/
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Swedish commercial pilot Johan Wiklund is flying a 1935 De Havilland 60 Moth biplane Photo: Cape to Cape

Children taking part in a Children’s Book Network workshop in Clanwilliam, Western Cape Photo: Children’s Book Network

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