Jumping for Joy...
So I was sat in my best friends front room, it was back when we had just found out about Bob’s cancer. Kate and I were sat in our PJ's eating minstrels when we decided we would do a sky dive... From then on Mum and Lucy decided it was a date for their diary and Suzi joined the team too. I booked it up and we just forgot about it really, no one was too worried and we started getting sponsorship in. The week before I started to get excited... Anyone who knows me also knows when I am excited I get punchy so anyone who mentioned the Skydive generally left with a dead arm!
The day finally arrived and it was a beautiful sunny day... Perfect for falling 12,000 ft.! We travelled up in one car and everyone was excited. We finally arrived and got signed in, weighed, tea & toast and bums on seats in the training room. We were shown a short DVD and asked each demonstrate the free fall position on what can only be described as a padded table! Training over we sat in the sun and chatted and then Mum and Lucy were called to go... We waited patiently for signs of them coming down, I got excited as I thought I saw them until it was pointed out that I was looking at a bird my eyesight has never been too good!
Next up was me and Kate - we were suited & harnessed up and taken to the departure point. We arrived as Mum and Lucy landed... It was amazing to watch them land right in front of us. Their instructors unstrapped them and walked to Kate and me and took us to the plane that was waiting patiently for us on the tarmac. Well I say plane… I have seen bigger air fix models! My instructor got in first squeezed into a space that I think would normally be where a seat should be opened his legs and I jumped in between them! Kate was still at this point asking about the in-flight entertainment. Once we were strapped in, the plane rattled down the runway. We were so snug and the camera man was precariously balanced holding the door closed.
The flight was about 20 mins to get to height - I looked at the back of the aircraft, the "No Fear" sticker said it all! Kate's instructor was giving her instructions, there was a lot of nodding from Kate and hand movements – my instructor was having a nap. The camera man started moving about, Kate was getting final instructions and I was suddenly pulled tightly into the instructor, lifted onto his lap, goggles pulled tight enough I could feel my eye ball bulge and told "Smile this is the time of your life" the door was flung open and my best friend was gone... No Fear!!
In seconds I was falling through the air and it was the most amazing feeling ever, the camera man was waving and giving me the thumps up. He started waving good bye and our parachute opened while he carried on falling to the ground. The ground became visible through the clouds and the instructor gave me control, we went left and right did a few spins, he pointed out a few sights and before I knew it he was preparing me for landing... "Kate - hold your legs up" was his preparation... and we landed! Kate Landed next to me... We both got up and saw Suzi being fitted for her hat and goggles, we were un-hooked and gave Suzi a hug and she was gone!
It really was an amazing experience. Kate and I would do it tomorrow and have even thought about a career change… Suzi would do it but is not in a hurry. Mum and Lucy are glad they have done it but won't be planning any more leaps! They are all fantastic to go along and do it, I am very proud of them all. Mum and Lucy are an inspiration to other parents and partners who are going through similar problems - to put their own problems aside and do this for others is truly admirable. Kate, my beautiful friend, not only goes along with my mad and crazy idea's, she does them with me, even when her own world is turned upside down she dives head first out of a plane to turn it a little more!
Suzi, well she is scarred of heights! A very brave thing to do and through the whole of the last 10 months has gone out of her way to help where she can and that is a quality not many people have… not sure if it cured her fear of heights though?
I thought raising money for charity was hard work... Not what I have seen...what next!
Help FOR HEADS and brainstrust would like to thank everyone for their generosity; the support that has been shown to us over the last 10 months from friends, family and complete strangers is outstanding. Thank you to everyone!
