I decided to do a Skydive because I class myself as somewhat of an adrenaline junkie! The last year or so with the pandemic has brought many things into focus for me, with what feels like lost time, and so I put together a little bucket list of things I’d like to do.

I’ve never been a big fan of heights however I will always try to face my fears and take on a challenge. Last year I climbed Ben Nevis which got a little hairy as we took the difficult route across a very narrow ridge, but I felt such an incredible buzz once we finally reached the top. In all honesty, I’m not too sure what triggered this fear originally. I have a picture of the classic photo ‘Lunchtime atop a Skyscraper’ with the builders in New York sitting out on the crane and even looking at that gives me vertigo. After this I may combat my fear of spiders!

The Jump

I completed the jump on Tuesday 15th June.  It was initially scheduled for Friday but due to the weather in the area I only had a 50:50 chance of jumping so we pushed it back to Tuesday when the weather was a lot more favourable.  Leading up to the jump I didn’t feel too nervous, however once Jump Day arrived and the reality of it came closer the nerves started slowly kicking in on the drive up there!

They took us up in groups of three plus the instructors and filming crew. I had a three hour wait before my jump so plenty of time to soak it all up and we were able to watch the previous group come down and get a sense of what was to come. It was a 20 minute flight to get up to 13,000 ft and we had some spectacular views of Silverstone and the surrounding area. After a last minute harness check the adrenaline starts to kick in as you shuffle forward towards the door. You dangle your legs over the side and then you drop!  

As you leave the plane you get an incredible buzz as the wind rushes past you and you soak up the local scenery! Everybody looks like ants from 13,000 ft.  You freefall for around 30-45 seconds before they deploy the parachute (big relief) and it feels like you get catapulted back up in to the air. We did a few sharp turns and were gliding around for a few minutes waving at the other gliders, before we came in for a nice slide-in landing!

Overall it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience and after contemplating it for a long time, I’m glad I took the plunge!

Fundraising

The last year has been a difficult time for many people and I know how challenging fundraising has been over the last year with limited challenges taking place and many people’s finances being stretched, so when I decided to book my Skydive I thought it would be a good idea to raise money for Aspire at the same time. Having worked at Aspire for 14 years I have seen first-hand the difference the charity makes to the lives of many people who have been affected by a spinal cord injury and so if an opportunity arises where I can contribute towards that, then I am more than happy to play my part.

When I booked the Skydive I felt somewhere around the £500 mark would be good to aim for, but I’m pleased to see that this has been surpassed so I’m now aiming for £750.  I’ve done a few fundraising events in the past for Aspire. In 2008, I took part in a challenging 50 mile cycle round Hertfordshire on a very hot day with a colleague dressed as Batman and Robin on a tandem bike! In December 2012 I took part in ‘The Grim Challenge’ where we had to run 12 miles around an army course in Aldershot on the coldest day of the year!  We had a few cuts and bruises but it was another thoroughly enjoyable day and we raised over £500 for Aspire.

Sponsor Declan

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