A pair of courageous care home colleagues conquered their fear of heights with a 10,000-ft skydive that raised more than £2,000 for a vital church restoration fund.
Ruth Wildman and Denise Marks, Home Manager and Companionship Team Leader respectively at Colten Care’s Avon Reach in Mudeford, Dorset, took to the skies in aid of a repair and rebuilding project at nearby Mudeford All Saints Church.
It was severely damaged in an accidental electrical fire in the summer of 2022, prompting much community fundraising to put right its devastated roof and interior.
Ruth and Denise did their skydive at the Old Sarum airfield near Salisbury, inviting Avon Reach residents along to watch them from the ground.
Bruce Eynon, who made the minibus trip, said: “They were very brave and I enjoyed seeing them go up – and come down.”
Describing the moment they jumped from the plane into 30 seconds of freefall before their parachutes opened, Ruth said: “We were really scared when we were sat in the plane. When the moment came, as it was a tandem jump with an expert instructor, you didn’t have time to think about it. It’s difficult to put into words how to describe the feeling of flying but it was truly amazing and exhilarating. We both said we would do it again. We’re grateful to Bruce for his kind words, I think he was heartily relieved when he saw us come into land.”
Thanks to sponsorship from friends, families, colleagues and the wider Avon Reach community, Ruth and Denise raised a total of £2,064.
Ruth said: “I really didn’t think we would raise that much money. We sincerely thank everyone who supported us.”
As well as Ruth and Denise’s skydive, Avon Reach has supported All Saints since the fire through initiatives such as providing space for church groups to meet. The home holds a monthly church service which is open to parishioners as well as residents, and it partnered with the church on a fundraising quiz.
Ruth added: “Some parishioners come to our coffee mornings and other events that we hold. We welcome all parishioners at any time and want to continue to build a strong relationship with them. We aim to continue being part of the church community as the rebuild progresses.”
The blaze was naturally a shock to the Mudeford community. Fifty firefighters were involved in tackling it, at one point using water pumped from Mudeford Quay. At the peak of the emergency response, there were 12 fire engines, two water carriers and an aerial ladder at the scene.
Due to the extensive damage, it was recognised that a comprehensive reconstruction would be needed in the months and years afterwards.
