The group went up, up and away at The Borders (Milfield) Gliding Club as part of the Learning Revolution October Festival of Learning – a national scheme to develop a culture of learning for adults.

The Milfield club was one of 20 British Gliding Association clubs chosen to host a Try Fly day and club members showcased gliding as an activity for 15 people from across Northumberland who had never had the opportunity to fly before.

The group took on the challenge of real flight-training, given around 30 minutes of hands on control of the aircraft with an instructor on board – flying up to 5,000 ft above Cheviot.

And it was a case of beginners' luck for the airborne group as they encountered special flying conditions, rarely experienced at other gliding clubs, apart from those which are located near mountains, known as the wave lift, which enables the pilot to climb to considerable heights.

Club chairman Mark Fielding said: "It was a really successful day. Everybody who came really enjoyed it.

"They got to experience flying in the afternoon and got up to around 5,000ft. They were full of smiles when they landed. We are really pleased with how things went."