Pat Pearce Mbe

Pat, a retired BA cabin crew member, is co-founder of the children's charity Dreamflight. Each year the charity takes 192 seriously ill and disabled children on a holiday of a lifetime on a British Airways jumbo.. Pat believes it is important to bring fun and joy to children who through various illnesses have experienced much pain, distress and disruption to their young lives and therefore might not otherwise ever have the opportunity to holiday as other children do. . The trip costs a staggering £700,000 each year and Pat works tirelessly to inspire fundraisers and spread the word about the charity.. For the children, the trip is truly life changing. They benefit from meeting new people, building friendships with children in similar situations to them and gaining new independence. Paralympian gold medallist Liz Johnson, a former Dreamflight child, credits her experiences on the trip with giving her the confidence and self belief to achieve her sporting success. . In 2004, Pat fought her own battle with cancer, but rather than feel sorry for herself she used it to give her an insight into how the Dreamflight children must feel and was more determined than ever that Dreamflight must continue. . Over the last 25 years Pat Pearce has helped change the lives of nearly 5,000 children from across the UK. .