Shoreham Airshow ticket winner ‘over the moon’

Bryan Mash said he was “over the moon” when he found out he had won one of 10 pairs of tickets offered by the Herald and Gazette series.

The 72-year-old was diagnosed with terminal cancer in May and given between five to six months to live.

“I only entered on the off-chance because I thought ‘Someone has got to win’,” said Bryan, of Crabtree Lane, Lancing.

“I thought about buying a ticket but I didn’t think I would have the energy to last the whole day.”

Although Bryan had always seen display aircraft fly over his house, he had never been to the airshow itself before Sunday.

He said it was “absolutely brilliant” to discover he could take his 16-year-old grandson, Niall Fry, to the airshow.

“I really wanted to take my boy to the show,” he said. “I was over the moon when I found out, absolutely over the moon.”

Bryan was particularly looking forward to seeing the Vulcan appear at the airshow as he used to work on Vulcan and Concorde engines.

Despite a wet start to Sunday’s programme, he was not disappointed.

“We’ve had a smashing afternoon,” he said on Sunday. “It was a shame about this morning but this afternoon has been brilliant.”

Bryan has pancreatic and liver cancer.

Although chemotherapy cannot cure his cancer he has had the treatment to give himself more time with his family.

“With the chemotherapy I should beat the six months,” he said.

“I don’t know how long I have got but I think it will be pretty bad by Christmas.”

Bryan said his goal was to reach his 73rd birthday in January.

“I have a had a good life,” he said. “It is just a shame it is finishing a lot earlier than the rest of my family.”