from left: Hannah Jones, Meriel Jones, Adam Hockaday and Alex Bozzard during their skydive in aid of National Star
A mum and daughter duo have jumped out of a plane at more than 10,000 feet to raise much needed funds for the charity they love.
Hannah Jones, 27, who lives in Cardiff, wanted to take part in National Star’s fundraising campaign to get 50 people to do skydives to celebrate its 50th year. But she wasn’t about to do it alone.
After a few glasses of wine over dinner she persuaded her mum, Meriel, 45, to do the tandem jump with her.
from left: Hannah Jones, Meriel Jones, Adam Hockaday and Alex Bozzard during their skydive in aid of National Star
“I spoke about the idea to my mum while we were having a meal and a few glasses of wine and my mum said that she would also like to do the skydive and raise money for National Star – I don’t think it hit her until the next day when she realised what she had signed herself up for,” she says.
Hannah is a facilitator at the charity’s day provision centre in Mamhilad, near Pontypool, which opened last year. The charity works with young people with complex disabilities including physical and learning disabilities, acquired brain injuries, and autism.
Seeing nothing but clouds from the edge of the plane was an unnerving but exhilarating experience. And she says although it was her first skydive, it certainly won’t be her last.
“The feeling when you are freefalling is like nothing I have ever experienced, it’s almost indescribable.
“Surprisingly it wasn’t too scary. The scariest part was the few seconds where I was sitting on the edge of the plane waiting for the instructor to push me out of the plane, all you can see is clouds.”
Mum and daughter have raised £800 for the charity.
“It was truly magical. And the paragliding felt so peaceful,” Hannah says. “Me and my mum had the most amazing day, and we were able to raise money for an incredible cause.”
