Families charity Home-Start Wessex has launched an appeal for people to help pull a plane and raise money to support their work with families in Dorset. The charity is putting together a team of 20 to pull a Boeing 737 at this year’s Dorset Plane Pull, the UK’s only charity event of its kind.
Home-Start Wessex offers friendship, practical support and emotional advice to parents in Dorset with at least one child under 5 when they are in crisis, providing specialist groups and one-to-one home visits.
Dorset Plane Pull is the country’s most unique fundraising event. Teams of 20 people determined to do good enter to pull a Boeing 737 weighing in at 35,000 Kg a distance of 50 metres. Since its founding in 2009, the event has raised over £340,000 for charities. Over 5,980 pullers from 299 teams have picked up a rope and completed the challenge. According to the Dorset Plane Pull website, the quickest a team has ever completed the pull is an astounding 25.70 seconds!
This year’s event takes place on August 25, 2025, and is generously hosted by European Skybus Ltd. on the Aviation Business Park at Bournemouth Airport.
“The plane pull is a fantastic event to take part in and a massive achievement for anyone who completes it,” said Darren Lewis, Community Fundraising and Events Officer at Home-Start Wessex. “In just one or two minutes of immense hard work, you could make a life-changing difference to local families.
No specific training is required. Pullers just need to be fit and healthy, without any known heart problems, back issues or currently pregnant. Bring your trainers and come and do something amazing this August.
With more people in crisis, more families becoming homeless and more single parents than ever before, our service is in high demand. There are still hundreds of families we need to help. We know we can make a huge difference if we have enough funds to continue our work.”
Over the last year, Home-Start Wessex has transformed 1,682 lives, helping a record 501 families. Their reach covers the Purbecks, Swanage, Weymouth, Dorchester, Bridport, the whole of the BCP Council area, including Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch, across the borders of Hampshire and Wiltshire, going as far north as Cranborne and Fordingbridge and as far east as New Milton – a huge area with a population of over 650,000, including many pockets of high-level deprivation.
Up for the challenge? Get in touch with Darren at Home-Start Wessex today to join the team. Email darren@homestartwessex.org.uk