Update
She did it and raised an amazing £5,320 in donations, far in excess of her target.
On her Just Giving page Sylvia reports:
I did it and it was brilliant! The sun shone and all my family came to watch. A big thank you to my tandem partner and other staff at Netheravon.
SI Winchester member Sylvia Stops can always be relied on to initiate or join in club fundraising events wholeheartedly – even modelling corsets for a charity calendar in her mid-eighties. This time she is not raising money for a Soroptimist charity but we think her latest escapade deserves an honourable mention on our regional website.
On 6th April Sylvia plans to jump out of an aeroplane in tandem with an experienced skydiver to raise money for Parkinson’s UK. She says “I’m getting a bit ancient now and I could not join in the charity walk Women Walking Winchester. I think jumping out of an aeroplane will be easier!”
On her Just Giving page Sylvia says:
I shall be 89 when I jump from the aeroplane in aid of Parkinsons UK. My doctor and hip surgeon have declared me fit. I will face another medical on the day but fully intend to make the jump for this very worthy cause. I have been a supporter of the Parkinson’s Society for many years and now have too many friends with the condition. Unlike the Queen, three years her junior, Sylvia will not be using a stunt-double for the jump!
Sylvia told the Hampshire Chronicle that she is glad to be getting more support than if she had arranged a coffee morning, but admits that when it comes to the task itself, the full scale of the challenge may not have sunk in yet. “I’m sure I shall be absolutely terrified on the day!” she said.
Sylvia hopes to raise £4,000. To support Sylvia, go to her Just Giving page by clicking here.