Skydiving bid for kids

A Knaresborough woman is setting her sights high in a daring bid to raise funds for terminally ill children.

Rotarian Helen Westmancoat is set for what could be her 50th tandem skydive on October 23 in a bid to collect over £500 for Martin House Children’s Hospice.

Helen, past president with Knaresborough Rotary, said: “I may do another this month because my husband John buys me skydives as Christmas gifts. Otherwise the one for Martin House will be my 50th.”

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The 69-year-old retired deputy university librarian started skydiving about 10 years ago.

“Sadly I am too old to go solo skydiving so I had to do a tandem skydive, which means you are strapped to someone else for the dive,” said Helen.

“The first one I did while working at York St John University for the student support charity and I just enjoyed it and kept going back.

“I try to do at least one a year for charity. So far I have raised about £7,000 through the jumps.”

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Helen, who mostly does skydives Hibaldstow in Lincolnshire, added: “Once you are out of the plane, it is the freedom of it. Once you are up there nothing else matters.

“You are in freefall for about a minute. It is the experience of being in the air and nothing else around you.

“There is a bit of adrenalin rush and a bit of risk involved.

“I will carry on for a bit. I will be 70 next year and I may stop then but there is no upper age skydive and I have a friend who did one for her 90th birthday.

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Helen holds a Guiness World Record as she was part of 403 tandem parachute jumps organised by Teenage Cancer Trust (UK) at Skydive Hibaldstow, in 2015.

She recently completed her 49th tandem skydive, in aid of RAF Charities, which was part of the RAF Scampton Family Day.  

Helen said: “It was a memorable experience parachuting in over RAF Scampton and to be able to see the display by the Red Arrows.” 

Boston Spa-based Martin House supports children and young people with life-limiting conditions and their families, across West, North and East Yorkshire.

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The vision is that every child and young person has access to palliative care when and where they need it. It costs the facility about £9,000 a year to fund this care and heavily relies on donations.

www.justgiving.com/fundraising/rcknaresboroughformartinhouse

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