Lovely to hear all about Ellie and Hannah’s skydive in memory of Ellie’s niece who passed away at 8 days old due to group B Strep infection. Ellie told us:-
We jumped out of our comfort zone… Literally!
Ellie and Hannah’s Skydive for GBBS at SkydiveTilstock – Saturday 26th July
Jumping out of a perfectly good aeroplane is not something we thought we’d ever sign up for. But there we were, getting kitted up, questioning every choice that led us to this moment. It was our first tandem skydive and we had a mix of feelings about it. Hannah was nervous but excited whereas I was excited but also absolutely terrified before the jump.
The second we jumped out of the plane, it became very real that we were falling to earth face first. But as you fall, the fear vanishes and is replaced by this surreal mix of adrenaline, freedom, and total peace. Yes, peace…falling through the sky at 120mph should not feel peaceful, but somehow it does and makes life feel incredibly simple for a few minutes.
Credit where it’s due: our instructors were absolute legends. Cool, calm, collected, and cracking jokes while we climbed to altitude and during the jump. They made it all feel just that bit less terrifying… until they opened the door!
Big shoutout to Hans and Dave for being amazing instructors and keeping us safe and to Pete and Wilco for taking all the phenomenal photos and videos before, during and after our jump.
The views were stunning with green fields stretching for miles and the sky clear and wide. When the parachute opened, it felt like we were just floating towards the ground. Our instructors even threw in a few spins on the way down, just to keep things spicy. It was an oddly calming feeling which feels weird to say when you’re plummeting to the ground from 10,000 feet, but skydiving is genuinely quite relaxing. Who knew?
By the time we landed, we were absolutely buzzing. That post-jump high is real and so addictive. We went from “why are we doing this?” to “when can we do it again?” in less than ten minutes.
If you’re on the fence about doing a skydive: do it. You will be scared. You will be nervous. And you will definitely question your life choices. But jump anyway and you’ll surprise yourself, and I promise—it’s totally worth it.
We are so happy that we’ve managed to raise as much as we have for such an amazing charity and are very grateful for everyone who helped us reach our goal.
If you’d like to show your support for Ellie and Hannah, you can visit her JustGiving page here https://www.justgiving.com/page/ellieandhannahfundraiser which has raised over £1200.
