Emmerdale cast take to the skies in plane stunt and our hearts are in our mouths | Soaps

A number of Emmerdale cast members have gone above and beyond to raise money for Cure Usher – a charity close to their hearts – by participating in a sponsored wing walk.

Bradley Riches, Jack Downham, Lawrence Robb and Matthew Wolfenden joined co-star and Cure Usher patron Mark Jordon for the fundraising challenge, alongside seven other brave participants.

‘There were twelve of us in total doing the wing walk,’ Mark told Metro. ‘Two from Denmark who’d come to help raise funds because their little one has just been diagnosed with Usher Syndrome.

‘We also had three cochlear implant wearing walkers and two with Usher Syndrome, plus our four Emmerdale boys.’

And they weren’t the only ones who made the trip out to Leeds East airport, with Emmerdale stars Laura Norton and Katie Hill supporting from the ground.

‘With local families popping by for a few hours or plane watching while eating in the café, we all had an audience as we braced ourself for our individual flights,’ The Daz Spencer star said.

But how does it feel to stand on the back of a plane? According to Mark, it is an ‘ethereal’ experience.

‘I felt so privileged to be in the air and occupying that space at that moment. At one point, I looked down as we passed the fields and I could see the shadow of the biplane with little old me on top of the shadow.

‘I waved, I pretended to swim and I did breakdancing with my arms. I was so happy. I found it to be peaceful and still and very ethereal.’

He went on to describe how, on landing, he was met by partner Laura, who plays Kerry Wyatt in the ITV soap, and their two children, Jesse, five, and Ronnie, three, and was ‘beaming ear to ear’.

‘What a beautiful period of time it was in the air on the back of that plane.’

The other Emmerdale stars had an equally enjoyable experience, with Noah Dingle actor Jack sharing his disappointment that he was unable to perform any loops.

Despite appearing nervous before take off (Understandably so!), Jack was eager to go up again after landing.

‘I asked the pilot if I could do some loop the loops and he said you have to do it on your second flight. I was gutted,’ Jack said.

Having already taken part in a wing walk with pilot Martyn before, Hollyoaks star Matthew, who previously played David Metcalfe in Emmerdale, did get the opportunity experience some aerial acrobatics.

‘The plane kept flying higher and higher to get a good depth for the loops,’ Mark recalled, having watched the flight from the observation deck.

‘Mathew was just a small dot on top of the small plane and very high up in the sky when it dived at breakneck speed towards the ground. Then suddenly the whole plane arched upwards back to the sky and proceeded to do about six loop the loops, one after the other!’

Matthew was met with a huge cheer on landing after the dramatic display, and when asked if he would recommend the experience to anyone wishing to take part in the next Cure Usher wing walking event, he said: ‘Definitely! That is amazing! Everybody should have a go!’

Cure Usher is a hugely important cause to Mark and Laura, whose young children were both diagnosed with Usher Syndrome in 2023. Since then, they have dedicated their time to raising money and awareness for the charity, hosting different events, like their annual Cure Usher Ball.

Along the way, their Emmerdale co-stars have continued to show their support, and Mark and Laura told Metro how much that meant to them when we sat down with them in 2024.

‘We’ve been more than aware of, since our personal journey started, the amount of people who have stepped forward without any hesitation from work and have just committed to sharing that journey with us,’ Mark said.

‘These people are sharing and committing to anything they can do to help us. There’s people saying what they’re planning to do for the charity later down the line and it’s incredible.

‘Everybody has their own life to live and their own problems, but people have jumped on board with this just because we’re part of their family in the workplace and that’s what they want to do for us, for our kids, and that’s amazing.’

It seems the inaugural wing walking event has already proved to be a huge fundraising success.

‘I think we’ve raised over £13,000 and it’s still going up,’ Mark revealed.

‘We have two more days booked in for next year and already half of the places are taken. I would recommend that everybody who is interested do this because, as my description of my flight will tell you, it’s beautiful!’

For more information, and to sign up for next year’s Cure Usher wing walk, visit their website here.