On Wednesday 17^th July, 7 brave supporters took to the sky, taking on a 15,000 feet skydive in aid of Great Western Air Ambulance Charity with Skydive Buzz at Dunkeswell Airfield in Honiton.

Samantha and Ian jumping in memory of Steve

Samantha Rudge and Ian Boucher took on this incredible challenge in memory of a close friend of theirs, Steve, who sadly passed away after suffering a fatal heart attack last year, and was attended to by the GWAAC team. The pair collectively raised over £750 for the charity.

Richard Neal also took on the jump – an employee of Bristol Airport, Richard took on this challenge as part of our Charity of the Year partnership with the airport, raising almost £300. Unlike many on the day, this wasn’t Richard’s first time jumping out of a plane, as he has completed an astounding 850 jumps before! But that didn’t stop the nerves on the day, Richard said:

“I had forgotten just how scary it is to fall out of a perfectly serviceable aircraft! I really loved being back in the air in free fall and riding under a canopy to a safe soft landing, my instructor was relaxed and very professional and I enjoyed having a photographer in the air with us – I now have a lasting record on DVD of the jump as it may be my last, I realise I’m not young and as physically able as I used to be! My first jump was with my Dad and my brother Rob, we all raised £2500 for a heart machine so it’s very fitting to do my last jump for charity!”

And a group of friends, Lucy, Jessica, Charlotte and our very own PR and Communications Coordinator, Penny, also took to the skies – raising almost £2,000 for GWAAC.

But it doesn’t stop there, we have another brave lady taking to the skies later on this year – Lorna will be jumping for GWAAC on Wednesday 4^th September, and has raised over £2,000 already!

Charlotte and Lucy on jump day!

The group collectively raised over £5,000 for the charity, which will go towards enabling us to continue providing the vital service we do day in and day out across the local area.

Taking on a challenge like this is not only a huge fundraising challenge, but can be a huge personal one too, so a huge thank you to all of our brave supporters for accomplishing something so wonderful all in aid of GWAAC. We couldn’t do what we do without you!

Thank you also goes to Skydive Buzz for providing such a great experience for our jumpers.

Fancy taking on a challenge for GWAAC?

If you fancy setting yourself a personal challenge whilst also raising vital funds for your local air ambulance, get in touch with our Community Fundraising and Events Manager, Laura on laura.hewitt@gwaac.com. If skydiving isn’t your thing, we have plenty more ways you can get involved – check out our other events here.