In Newsletter 23, we ran an advert offering readers the opportunity to jump out of an aeroplane to raise funds for Different Strokes; as a result several people have volunteered. The pictures here are of Rachel, a volunteer at Central Office, and her friend Colin.

Rachel became involved in Different Strokes because she had a relative who suffered a stroke in his 40s. The relative had another stroke late last year and unfortunately he did not survive it, so Rachel wore a T-shirt with his picture on the front in his memory.

The jump took place on Saturday 17th January at an airfield in Brackley. It was a very cold day, but, as can be seen from the photographs, beautifully clear and sunny. The roads were icy and quite treacherous, particularly on the final leg of the journey, which was a winding, single track road. The conditions didn't put people off however, there were already thirty or more other cars as I parked and prepared to face the biting wind on the airfield.

Colin and Rachel had arrived in plenty of time to go up with the first group, but unfortunately there was a slight delay as the medical form needed a doctor's signature. While this was being sorted out we watched the first 'plane take off, and Rachel started showing increasing nervousness about the whole idea, making numerous trips to 'powder her nose' and trying not to show she was worried, as her Mum was even more nervous than she was!

After the first group had returned, Rachel and Colin were helped into their flying suits and harnesses by experienced skydivers who they would be jumping with, in tandem. They took off in a very old fashioned looking aeroplane which then climbed to 10,000 feet. The spectators struggled to keep the plane in view as it became smaller and smaller, and when the parachutists jumped out they were such tiny dots we could hardly see them. The specks slowly grew until we could identify them as human beings, and then the parachutes opened and they continued floating gently down to earth.

Safely back on terra firma, Rachel and Colin were on an exhilaration high, both keen to do another jump as soon as possible. But then came the hard part - collecting in all the sponsorship money they had persuaded people to commit to the cause! They did very well, managing to raise close to fifteen hundred pounds between them, for which we are extremely grateful and which will be put to very good use to help younger stroke survivors.

You can help us raise funds by making an exhilarating 10,000 feet freefall parachute jump. No experience is required, and if you raise the minimum amount of sponsorship you will get to jump for FREE.

Click here to sign up now!

For an information pack, email info@differentstrokes.co.uk or call 0845 130 7172.

Anne Barby, Group Development Manager