Team Dunelm Skydive Challenge

Dunelm team skydive for charity

A team of four employees from Rotherham’s Dunelm store in Canklow have taken to the skies to raise money for charity partner Age UK and Weston Park. The quartet embarked on a sponsored skydive challenge and between them have already raised over £2,000 for the charities.

The brave jumpers, Lucy Green, Susan Cavill, Samuel McCanespie and Alex Katy took part in the tandem skydive, at Hibaldstow Airfield in Market Rasen and experienced the thrill of freefall skydiving, whilst harnessed in tandem with a fully qualified parachuting instructor.

From a height of 15,000ft the skydivers got to experience one whole minute of adrenaline filled freefalling and reached terminal velocity at 120mph, a feat not for the faint hearted.

The skydiving team were joined at Hibaldstow by Denise Caldecott from Age UK Rotherham, who having done one herself, knows full well how scary the build-up to the dive can be. Denise said: “We are delighted that Age UK were chosen as Dunelm’s charity partner and we’ve been working with the team at the Canklow store to generate opportunities for older people in Rotherham. The four skydivers have done an amazing job, raising over £2,000 for charity, they were so brave to take on such a thrilling challenge and did a fantastic job on the day.”

Susan, Lucy and Samual did the jump for Age UK and once back on the ground, Susan said “It was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before, I can’t even put it into words”.

Lucy absolutely loved doing it; she said that she would love to do it again and Sam is glad he faced his fears, but still won’t climb ladders!

Between the three of them, they raised over £1,000 for Age UK.

Alex jumped in memory of her dad, who sadly died in March, she raised £1,133 for Weston Park who looked after her dad in his final days.

National home wares company Dunelm embarked on a three-year charity partnership with Age UK earlier this year and have encouraged individual stores across the country to work with their local Age UK partners. Dunelm’s vision for the partnership is to ‘create a community that feels like home', by helping build communities where older people feel more included, and homes where older people feel safe, warm and well.

Working at a local level, Age UK Rotherham and staff from the Canklow store, expect this to be a productive partnership for both organisations that will benefit older people across the borough, and they already have lots of activities and events planned for the future.

You too can try the thrill of skydiving and raise funds for Age UK Rotherham, find out more here: sky dive for us