A 16-year-old turned heads after he flew to his prom by helicopter.

Matthew Holton, who has just finished Year 11 at The Charles Dickens School in Broadstairs, jetted off to the party in style yesterday, while wearing a sharp black suit and white carnation.

The youngster’s dad Paul Holton chose to hire the helicopter to give his son a great experience.

The 47-year-old explained: “We hovered around the venue and circled before we landed. All the other students were cheering and calling out his name.

“He got a buzz out of that.”

His father and his mother Sally are “really proud” of their son, who has had a tough year with exams, especially in the aftermath of the pandemic.

Mr Holton, who works at a petrol station and dabbles in music management, said: “He has worked hard and kept his head down.

“It hasn't been easy with the pandemic and the last year leading up to leaving school.”

Matthew, his dad and pilot Nathan from Polar Helicopters set off from Manston.

The dad added: “He basically wanted to arrive in style.

“He will have memories to last a lifetime. He really really loved it.”

Despite his glamorous arrival, Matthew is a “down to earth lad” and really appreciative of his end-of-school gift, his dad said.

Having finshed his GCSEs, he is hoping to go to Canterbury College in September.

Mr Holton will be donating some money to a charity of Quex Park’s choice for letting them land in the grounds and giving his son a great experience.