High-flying journalist Gina Marden was away with ‘a wing and a mayor’ at the weekend, when she took to the skies for her second wingwalk.

Gina, who is chief reporter at The Essex Enquirer, became one of the stars of Southend’s Airshow when she joined mayor Coun Roger Weaver on a flight on the wing of a 1940s Boeing Stearman biplane.

With the help of the Utterly Butterly Team, the daring duo diced through the clouds at heights of up to 500ft at speeds of 150mph.

Gina (pictured) said: “It was brilliant, just as good as last year.

“I wasn’t sure if the mayor would be talking to me afterwards because he doesn’t even like flying, but he loved it.

“He’s promised me a string of exclusives for giving him the experience of a lifetime!”

After wingwalking for the first time at last year’s Southend Airshow, Gina struck up a deal with Roger to wingwalk together at this year’s event if she raised £500 or more for the new mayor Chris Dandridge’s charities.

And with the help of the airshow’s sponsors, the Westcliff Casino, she did just that.

The money will go to the NSPCC and the Southend-based Auricular Acupuncture Peer Programme.

Gina said: “I loved wingwalking last year, and this is definitely a better way of working with politicians – it beats sitting in council meetings.”