PETER LUCAS, Birmingham Catholic Youth Service: I am really grateful to Catholic Today for giving me the opportunity of taking part in the ‘Leap of Faith’. The whole experience was just brilliant.
I would be lying if I were to say that I wasn’t a little nervous, but the support and encouragement I received from my instructor was excellent. He was constantly talking to me, to re-assure me and to remind me of everything I was supposed to be doing.
The climb to 12,800 feet did seem to take forever. We were all crammed into this little plane, with very little room for movement. There was an uneasy silence, broken only by instructions given to us.
'The whole experience is one I will never forget.'
The one part I was very nervous about was shuffling from one end of the plane to the other, with the door open! However, this came and went. No sooner had I got to the door than I found myself rushing earthbound at 145miles per hour, at a rather bracing temperature of minus 20 degrees. At first, upside down for a short while, I couldn’t seem to catch my breath, but soon recalled the words of the instructor – ‘don’t forget to breathe!’
Once the parachute opened things became more serene, floating gently towards the land. It was quite windy (subsequent jumpers had quite a delay), but clear and the views were excellent. For a short time I was handed control of the canopy, which was quite a thrill. Shortly afterwards the instructor took back control and we landed, with not so much of a bump, as a feather-like touch.
As we all know, the work that Alton Castle and the Birmingham Catholic Youth Service do is excellent, and for many young people the experience of a weekend retreat or pilgrimage, or festival, is equally thrilling, as jumping out of a plane was for me. So, if you haven’t already sponsored me, or any of the other jumpers, it’s not too late. In the words of a certain supermarket – ‘every little helps’!
ANTHONY WILLETTS: What a fantastic experience! I thoroughly enjoyed the whole day, and was fortunate enough to be one of the early ‘jumpers’.
Jumping from 13,000 ft was just an unbelievable experience, and to skydive for 12,000 ft within 45 seconds was breath taking. My tandem jumper, Gary, was really supportive throughout the whole event. We were fortunate enough that even though it was windy, it was a clear day, and the view of South East Nottingham was amazing.
'Jumping from 13,000 ft was just an unbelievable experience, and to skydive for 12,000 ft within 45 seconds was breathtaking.'
At this time, my fundraising stands at £1561 and I would like to take this opportunity to thank my school and Sixth Form, Bishop Milner Catholic School, Dudley, my parish, St Chad and All Saints, Sedgley and all my family and friends who sponsored me. Thank you for the monies and thank you for the experience.
FR GARY BUCKBY: The whole experience is one I will never forget. There is something very unnatural about throwing yourself out of a perfectly good airplane and it was that which made the whole thing totally exhilarating. The rush of 55 seconds of manic freefall followed by the stillness and quiet of the descent under the parachute made all my work throughout the rest of the week seem very tame in comparison, it was literally hard to come back to earth. The views were spectacular. What a crazy way to raise money for Alton Castle. Fun though! Finally it was lovely to hear the squeals of the children in school as they watched the video and saw their parish priest plummet to the ground at 120 mph.
If you would like to make a donation or find out more about the work of Alton Castle, please visit www.altoncastle.co.uk
