FUNDRAISERS from Hill’s Panel Products (HPP) took on an ‘intense and exhilarating’ skydive to raise £2,215 and counting for Maggie’s Oldham.
Joint founder and owner Martin Hill was joined by two directors at the Oldham firm – Dan Mounsey, Marketing and Business Development, and Andy Evans, IT – for the tandem skydive in aid of the cancer centre at The Royal Oldham Hospital.
The trio took to the skies from the Black Knights Skydiving Centre at Cockerham, south of Lancaster, which offers the highest skydive in the UK at 15,000ft.
While Martin, a qualified pilot, and Dan took a relaxed approach to the adventure, Andy admitted to having a ‘touch of trepidation’ as he first jumped out of the plane.
He said: “The guys on the ground really give you confidence and put you at ease but when you first leave the plane, you certainly have a moment.
“I think it was the expanse of the view in front of you and the fact there’s nothing between you and the ground – it’s really intense.
“I thought it would be like that all the way down, but the feeling soon disappears, and you start to enjoy the free fall.
“You don’t worry about it either, I think your brain isn’t capable of worry at that point. And then as soon as the canopy opens it becomes a very serene experience.”
Martin added: “A love of aviation runs through our family, so doing a parachute jump seemed like a natural extension of that passion.
“From the first moment we heard about the charity parachute jump while we were visiting Maggie’s to hand over the cheque for World Cancer Day, I couldn’t wait to do it.”
Dan, meanwhile, describes the skydive as the most ‘commercially available adrenaline rush’ you can do.
He said: “I’ve done a bungee jump before but that was over a lot quicker than this. It’s genuinely exhilarating for a lot longer as you free fall.
“Your senses are all over the place for the first five or 10 seconds, you’re falling at about 120 to 140 miles an hour, it was minus 10, so your head is freezing.
“We all expected more of a jolt as the canopy opened but it was quite smooth, and as Andy says, it becomes very serene.
“You can see Blackpool to the south and the Lakes to the north and the instructor spins you round so you get a 360-degree view.”
The adventure came about following HPP’s fundraising for Maggie’s as part of World Cancer Day earlier this year, which raised £350.
The centre is part of a UK-wide and overseas network of cancer support hubs, giving cancer patients, their families and friends practical, emotional and social support.
Donations for the skydive currently total £2,215 – just short of the £2,250 target, which has been adjusted three times after previous targets were surpassed.
- Visit Maggie’s Oldham for expert cancer support, information and more. Find out more online: /www.maggies.org/our-centres/maggies-oldham/
- HPP, which has been operating for 33 years, manufactures and supplies board, doors, fittings and accessories for the fitted furniture industry.
- You can still sponsor Martin, Dan and Andy via their fundraising page: https://donate.giveasyoulive.com/fundraising/hpp-skydive