Leap of
FaithBy Rachel Rolfe
Wednesday 9th September 2009 will be a date to remember for four parishioners of St John the Baptist.
It was the day of reckoning as finally, after weeks of publicity and fundraising efforts, it was time to take the Leap of Faith. We made our way to Hinton Airfield where we had a brief yet informative training session. The good news was that friends, family and locals alike had dug deep in their pockets and pledged over £1,000 in support of our jump. This certainly buoyed us up after learning in the training session that we would be hurtling out of the aircraft from 13,000 ft and freefalling for about 40 seconds at approximately 130 mph. Not to mention the fact that although securely attached to our instructor we would, for a couple of seconds, be ‘dangling’ outside the plane with our legs curled under, touching the belly of the plane, whilst our instructors were perched on the edge of the aircraft ready to jump – eye watering!
Conditions on the aircraft were cosy and we were soon packed in like sardines in a tin. The small aircraft took about 20 minutes to reach a height of 13,000 ft.
The aircraft door was opened. Mike Sherratt was the first to jump, followed by Jennifer Hart, then Jane Neal with me being the last to leave the plane. I know each of us had our own emotions running through our heads as we left the aircraft and we had different expectations of the free fall, the parachuting and the landing – a mixture of terror, excitement, anxiety, awe and wonder. It did not disappoint. The free fall was incredible, the flight with the canopy open was breathtaking and the landing was safe, injury free and on target.
So what has the Leap of Faith achieved? It has undoubtedly secured an injection of funds to go towards the upkeep of an important part of this community and for this we are very, very grateful. I for one though hope it has raised awareness and made people think twice about the church and the people who go there. Why not come along and try us on for size! You just might find a whole new experience to enjoy that will enrich your life. Go on, take a leap of faith.
To donate to our cause you can still pledge funds online at http://www.justgiving.com/theleapoffaith/ or by sending cheques payable to The Lee PCC to Mr David Stephenson, The Treasurer, Berwyns, Clarendon Road, Prestwood, HP16 0PL.