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Paul takes the plunge for Motability
Paul Carter, 29, from Cambridge has taken to the skies to help raise money for the national disability charity Motability. Having seen information about parachute jumps on the Motability website, Paul decided he just had to go for it and do one himself. He set about raising the money, and with the help of his employers, Encore Estate Management Ltd together with other sponsors, he raised a total of £1,000. Paul then booked a place at his local airfield in Cambridge. Describing the moment he jumped, Paul explains "I've never been the sort of person to get nervous; I like to just get on and do things. The team on the ground and the instructor made me feel totally safe and you get training on how to jump and how to land before you leave the ground. If this doesn't make you feel safe, you have a trained instructor attached to you, who jumps out of a plane 8 times a day for a living!" The freefall element of the jump takes around 25 seconds and at 5,000ft the parachute opens. The descent from there on takes around five minutes. Paul says "At the start you can only just make out the airfield. Things gradually get bigger and clearer, it's an amazing sight, the fields stretch as far as you can see." Aine Canavan from Motability's fundraising teams says: "Doing a parachute jump is an extreme challenge to say the least. We are very grateful to Paul for raising such a large amount of money for Motability which will help us to help more disabled people become mobile and live an independent life." On landing Paul says "I asked the instructor if we could go up again! It's difficult to explain how it feels, all I can say is it's the nearest you'll get to flying like a bird. You'd have to do it yourself to fully appreciate what a great feeling it is. I plan to do another jump for Motability next year." If you'd like to experience the feeling for yourself, whilst raising money for Motability, contact Aine Canavan on 01279 632258 or email ainec@motability.co.uk. No experience is necessary, as full training is provided, and airfields from which you can jump are located throughout the UK. www.motability.co.uk
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