A PILOT plans to charter a plane and fly more than 200 people to Germany as part of an ambitious fund-raising bid by a Merseyside school.

Former RAF fighter pilot David Cullen is planning to take a Boeing 757 plane on a day trip to Cologne to help kick-start fundraising by West Kirby’s Calday Grange grammar school for Alder Hey children’s hospital.

Mr Cullen’s son Matthew, 14, was diagnosed with leukaemia and news of his illness prompted the massive fundraising bid by the school, which aims to raise £3.75m for Alder Hey’s Imagine Appeal.

Matthew has been receiving treatment at the West Derby hospital.

The fund-raising bid will mark the school’s 375th anniversary.

Calday Grange is now appealing for people to join the flight on Saturday, December 5, to Cologne’s Christmas market.

Mr Cullen, 45, a pilot for Thomson Airways, hopes to attract as many people as possible to take the flight and help raise money for the appeal, launched by Calday Grange earlier this week.

The school also aims to use a 1,000-mile sponsored relay run from Land’s End to John O’Groats to raise money – but also wants to draw in the wider community and attract corporate sponsorship.

The school chose the Imagine Appeal after Matthew was diagnosed with leukaemia during a family holiday to Florida last year.

He then began receiving treatment at the hospital.

Mr Cullen said: “We are getting the aircraft at cost and all the crew are volunteers, which is amazing.

“We are not being charged for catering or landing charges. Thomson has been fantastic.

“The goodwill people have shown to get it airborne is incredible. Now we want people to get in touch and join the flight.”

The Christmas market trip to Cologne, which costs £175 per person, needs 225 people to fill the flight. All profits will go to the fund.

FOR more details, go to www.calday-lejog.org, email lejog@calday.wirral.sch.uk or call Mr Cullen on 0781 493 1816.