Tamworth Herald readers have been treated to a bird’s-eye view of the town after photographer Paul Barber took to the air on an impromptu microlight flight.

Paul was invited to join friend Barry Wright – who recently gained his microlight pilot licence – and during an hour-long flight took dozens of aerial shots.

Paul said: “I have been up in a helicopter and a two-seater before but never a microlight, so this was a first for me.

“Barry asked me if I fancied a trip and I told him to let me know when and I’d go. I then got a call out of the blue to say it was on the runway and the flight suits were ready!”

Paul grabbed his camera with the main aim of getting a picture of his house from the air, but when he showed the results of the trip to colleagues at the Herald they were so impressed that they decided to publish them on the front-page, with a three-page spread inside.

The photographs are the first aerial shots of Tamworth to be taken by any of the Herald’s photographers for more than 15 years.

And although landmarks such as Tamworth Castle and the football ground remain unchanged, the pictures revealed the vast growth of the town, including many new estates, the snowdome and the recent addition of the Colin Grazier Memorial.

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