Barclaycard jump with Red Devils for SUPPORT OUR PARAS

At the beginning of September, 7 members of Barclaycard staff joined The Red Devils to do a tandem skydive in aid of SUPPORT OUR PARAS.  Here, Richard tells us how the day went.

The day started with good weather and after the formalities of signing in and completing the brief training we were ready. The anticipation built through the day as we had been allocated teams that were due to jump in the afternoon. The waiting was by no means boring however as we were able to sit in the sun and watch the other teams jump and then parachute down. As fewer people remained left to jump we knew our turn would be soon.

Our team had been divided into smaller groups and finally it was the chance of the first two individuals to jump. They were given jump suits, hats (that were very fetching) along with gloves and harnesses before being shown to the plane. We watched as the plane taxied and took off then waited to spot it appear high above our heads. From the ground it was actually possible to see the people as they left the aircraft, falling as tiny dots in the air before they reached the appropriate altitude and the parachutes opened. It was difficult to tell who was who as they flew overhead and landed however we soon recognised some smiling and exhilarated faces.

The jump itself is something I would highly recommend and I would say that the anticipation of how it would feel was in fact a lot worse than the actual experience.

Apart from the exhilaration of falling at 120mph, the views were amazing and the professionalism and pleasant demeanour of all the people involved was incredible. It really is a fantastic way to raise some money for a very worthy cause. I for one am already looking forward to doing another!

If you want to make a donation towards their fundraising efforts, please visit their fundraising page.