4 members of the committee of the Fordingbridge and Ringwood branch of the RNLI and 5 fellow RNLI supporters recently completed a skydive in aid of RNLI lifeboat stations in the Solent region including Bembridge, Cowes and Yarmouth.
The group of 9 jumped from an aircraft some 2-and-a-half miles high and entered a free-fall skydive at 120 mph for over 10,000 feet before their parachutes opened to ensure a safe landing.
This ambitious and daunting fundraising event, hosted by the welcoming and expert staff of the Army Parachute Association at Netheravon, took place in brilliant sunny conditions last Wednesday. It was led by the branch chairman, Bridget Glasgow.
The aim is to raise a total of £25,000 towards training for the Solent group of RNLI lifeboat stations. Sponsorship from well over 200 supporters before the jump has already raised over £22,000.
Bridget Glasgow said:
“It was an amazing feeling plummeting through the air for nearly a minute with a bird’s eye view of the surrounding area – including the Isle of Wight and Solent where our support is targeted.
“When the parachute opened it felt like being whooshed upwards – and then all was peace and quite after the deafening noise of rushing wind while we were in free-fall.
“Cookie, my lovely ‘tandem’ instructor, brought us down to a perfect landing where Lucy, the brilliant video photographer was already waiting on the ground to film our arrival despite having started her jump after me and filming us in free-fall”.
Article continues below this advertisement “My special thanks go to Committee members Marcus Trinick, James Grazebrook, Richard Acland and Treasurer Jerry Pike for organizing the event.
“The real stars of the day were those who have supported us with their generous donations, without whom the Skydive would have been pointless”.
You can support the cause too by visiting https://www.justgiving.com/fundrai…/rnlifordingbridgeskydive.
