One of our volunteers, Brian Vella decided to overcome his fears to take part in a tandem skydive to raise money for disabled children.
This is what he had to say about his experience:
'I decided to do a skydive for two reasons. One was the thought of me realising a dream to partake in something I would never have dared to even think about a few years ago. The other, being able to do this for one of my favourite charities which I have been supporting for 2 years as a volunteer.
A few days before the event, I started to read what this skydive actually meant and had goosebumps on my skin. I wondered why I was agreeing to do this and was I going to make a fool of myself? Watching a video of the event did not help matters either!
The Saturday morning was sunny and bright and I thought to myself that this was a good thing as I would see more things from the air! After arriving in Beccles, I was surprised to see so many fellow participants and that sort of calmed me down. I was fortunate enough to have good friends Lisa and Tracy along with Kate from Out & About cheering me on. I surely could not chicken out now? What's the worst that could happen I thought in an effort to relax myself.
The briefing did not help and certainly not putting on the protective gear and funny helmet and goggles! The more time passed, the more I started to panic. My turn finally came and I hugged my good friends goodbye hoping I would see their wonderful faces again. My instructer, Barry, who was going to be tied to me at all times during the experience, was a kind man and he made me feel at ease. However, just getting on the plane made me nervous so I could not really speak and began to freeze. Fellow passengers noticed this and cheered me on. The take off was stress free but the height made me uneasy. I am not a good flyer so being stuck in a tiny aircraft with the thought of jumping out of it was very hard for me.
Luckily, I was the first to jump out of the plane and when that door went up with my feet dangling from the aircraft, I knew what was in store. The jump and the few seconds before we got into the skydive position was the scariest thing I have ever done and will probably ever do in my life. However, as soon as we got in the skydive position, I had the most memorable experience that one can imagine. I felt on top of the world and indestructable. I knew how Superman felt and could actually have done this for minutes and not just seconds. After about 40 seconds, I was happy that the parachute deployed successfully but sad to see that my skydive was over. The landing which lasted about 7 minutes was just magical as it was so peaceful and serene and I felt like a bird. The landing was nice and safe and after a minute to get my bearings, I stood up and shouted in my mind 'Mission Complete!'. I raised my arms in the air after my triumph and gave Barry a warm hug for keeping me safe and allowing me to experience a wonderful skydive.
I am proud to have raised over £200 for Out & About and would like to thank all the people who have sponsored me.'
