THE widow of the Red Arrows pilot who died last month is to take part in the Great North Run to raise money for a charity in his name.

Dr Emma Egging, the wife of Flight Lieutenant Jon Egging, the pilot tragically killed following a display at near Bournemouth Air Festival last month, will be wearing a red number four, in memory of her husband whose call sign was Red 4.

The 33-year-old pilot crashed into a field and his plane plunged into a river after he steered it away from a village.

Dr Egging will be taking part with Angie James, the partner of Red 6, and Graham Bagnall, the ground commander of the display team, known as Red 10.

They will be announcing the launch of the Jon Egging Trust, a charity that will provide disadvantaged young people the opportunity to achieve their potential by experiencing the thrill of flying.

Dr Egging, from Rutland in the East Midlands, said: “I am bowled over by the opportunity to run in memory of Jon, for the Reds and to raise awareness of the trust we are setting up in his name.

“While it will be a very emotional day, I’m looking forward to taking part and then seeing the Reds’ display at the finish line.”

The Red Arrows will fly over the Bupa Great North Run start line at 10.39am, before flying over the Tyne Bridge in the “missing man” formation at 11.05pm.

The traditional display at South Shields will take place at 1.15pm, as thousands of runners will be streaming across the finish line.

North-East X Factor winner Joe McElderry, who is taking part for the second year running to raise money for Teenage Cancer Trust, is hoping to be one of them.

Joe, from South Shields, who is the charity’s celebrity ambassador and North-East patron, completed last year’s 13.1-mile race in an hour and 39 minutes and smashed his fundraising target by raising more than £9,000.

He said: “Completing the Great North Run last year was such a great experience.

“The atmosphere was incredible and I was really happy with my time.”

The Bupa Great North Run will be live on BBC One from 9.30am on Sunday morning and the coverage will include the Red Arrows’ performances.

* A SIX-strong team of soldiers will be taking part in the Great North Run to raise money to help injured veterans.

The team of five men and one woman from Egypt Squadron, the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, hope to complete the half marathon in less than two hours, despite each of them carrying 20kg of training kit on their backs.

Money raised will go to Finchale Training College, the Durham City charity which opened in 1943 as a rehabilitation centre for ex-servicemen and continues to support former Forces personnel to this day.

The team will be led by Lieutenant Peter Eadon, from Washington, Wearside.

He said: “I think it is really important that we show our support for our comrades who are experiencing tough times.

“Finchale may only be a small college based in County Durham, but it provides invaluable support and opportunity for veterans from across the UK and I am delighted to be able to support them.”

He added: “Regardless of where they have served and their length of service, I think each individual deserves the chance to live an independent life. Finchale aims to provide just that.

“We are a fit lot and train regularly but I must admit that this is going to be tough.”

The team welcomes sponsorship. To contribute, please visit justgiving.com/egypt-runner