Past Skydivers

Courtney Norton from Knowle Gate Care Home completed a tandem skydive, raising a fantastic £510 for Age UK Solihull.

Courtney said it was "probably the best experience of my life but also the most terrifying. I am so proud of myself for doing the jump and I think I might want to do it again someday. I would really encourage people to take the plunge and do this as it really is a once in a lifetime opportunity."

Three dedicated volunteers took to the skies to raise funds for us.

Clare Lupton, Erin Twigger and Ian Fisher all completed a skydive, raising £2,756 between them. Volunteering with us means the three of them are well aware what an incredible difference their fundraising will make to older Solihull residents.

Well done all!

A team of four from Colas Ltd raised £1,828.60 between them with their jumps. Alice Townsend, Vankatesh Kode and Ajita Kode (pictured), and Emma Murray all enjoyed the experience, with Ajita describing it as "phenomenal".

Blossomfield Rose Care Home's Operations Manager, Sonia Tenniswood, also completed a skydive this year. She raised £515 in donations, which Macc Care generously matched, taking her total to £1,030. Sonia enjoyed the jump so much that she is training to do a solo skydive! Click below to find out how a resident got to experience the jump for her 101st birthday!

Local GP, Katie Hutchinson, jumped on Saturday 14 May and raised £491 for Age UK Solihull.

Katie says, "I absolutely loved it and I'm so happy to have raised nearly £500."

Local radio presenter, Jas Rohel (pictured) jumped out of a plane on Saturday 17 April 2021 and raised £1,762.

Jas said, "When I was asked to support Age UK Solihull, I JUMPED at the chance to help - I literally didn't think the jump was going to be so big and out of a plane. Presenting shows on Solihull Radio means I get to talk to amazing people all the time. The work that Age UK Solihull do for the older people in our local community is invaluable and a much-needed support to our older community.”

Solihull Council employee, Ian Lewis also took on the challenge on the same day but at a different airfield, raising £374.69.

Age UK Solihull's Digital Marketing and Fundraising Officer, Rebecca Jacob, took one for the Fundraising team and raised £645 (plus Gift Aid) with her jump on Sunday 5 May.

Becky described the skydive as "terrifying but incredible" and says it's an experience she will remember for a lifetime.

Father and son, Mike and Dan Smith took on a daring tandem parachute jump on Saturday 4 August.

They helped to raise over £900! An amazing amount to go back into our local services.

This was a popular year for skydivers, with several supporters completing a jump in aid of Age UK Solihull.

We would like to thank our brave fundraisers who took on a tandem parachute jump on Saturday 11 March and helping to raise over £4,500.

• Our very own Fundraising Manager, Lorraine Hart, took on this brave challenge and raised £1,205.
• Age UK Solihull Volunteer, Bill Farnsworth, jumped on the same day. He had a great time and said he'd love to do it again! He helped to raise £1,765!
• Sam Mitton helped raised £510 with his jump.
• Sally Tomlinson, Age UK Solihull Trustee, and her daughter, Naomi, helped to raise £1,535.

Later that year, on Saturday 8 July, six members of staff from the Home Finance Team at Legal and General (pictured) got together and jumped. Between them they raised a whoping £6,121 for Age UK Solihull!

Finally, Age UK Solihull staff member, Fiz Aziz,  jumped on Sunday 3 September, and she managed to raise well over £1,000 for us.