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Charity / Health and wellbeing
Skydive in aid of Spinal Research
any of you in and around Billingshurst will either know Ray Chick as the treasurer and one of the fundraisers for the Billingshurst Macmillan Cancer Support Group or as one of the Committee of the Billingshurst Horticultural Society whose successful summer show took place recently in the Billingshurst Community Centre on 21 August. The Billingshurst Macmillan Cancer Support Group is blessed with the most amazing and enthusiastic Chair, Terri Ashpool, who three years ago did a tandem skydive in aid of Macmillan to celebrate her 50th birthday. It was at this time that Ray volunteered to do a similar skydive to celebrate his 70th birthday in 2021. Like many others Ray was unable to celebrate his 70th birthday earlier in the year due to COVID lockdown so the tandem skydive eventually took place on Sunday 22nd August after two cancellations due to poor weather at Netheravon in Wiltshire, home to the Red Devils Army Parachute Team. A past work colleague of
Ray was the treasurer of Spinal Research who was paralysed playing rugby in his 20s and confined to a wheelchair until his death in 2019 and it was in his memory and for Spinal Research that Ray did his skydive. So far he has raised over £2,750 towards funding further research for a cure for spinal paralysis. Ray reports that he had the most amazing instructor who had done over 5,500 jumps and made him feel very safe and relaxed. He and his instructor were last out of the plane (15 parachutists cramped on the floor of a Cessna 208 Caravan) and fell from 14,000ft to 6,000ft in what seemed like just seconds before the instructor pulled the ripcord and another 1,000ft before the parachute opened. It was shear bliss after that as the instructor rotated the parachute slowly pointing out all the landmarks as they floated ever so slowly down (Stonehenge, Boscombe Down, etc). Asked if he would do it again Ray said, “It was a truly wonderful experience and I’m so pleased I did it, but would I do it again? Possibly, but not definitely!” Photos: Ray (in rugby shirt) before, after and during his skydive!
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