A LOCAL woman has jumped at chance to raise funds for a North-east cancer charity – she took a ride in an aeroplane up to 10,000 feet, jumped out and plummeted through freezing air at 120mph towards the ground.
Julie McRobbie (45) from Ellon, who took to the air last month, raised more than £3,000 for CLAN (Cancer Link, Aberdeen and North).
She took part in the tandem skydive along with her son, Andrew McRobbie (21) and his friends Emma McIntosh (18) and N
icholas Kyriakidis (21) on Sunday, January 31 at Strathallan Airfield, Near Auchterarder, Perthshire.
Julie is no stranger to the skies – she had already experienced a similar tandem skydive in 1995 for Aberdeen sick children's hospital: "I can still confess to being nervous while waiting to take my turn and during the preparation for the jump," she said.
However, Julie said this time, the skydive instructors were excellent at putting her at ease with their sense of fun and humour.
Awaiting her was a 45-second free fall courtesy of Skydive Strathallan. During the ascent to 10,000 feet ,she just sat back and enjoyed the experience.
The Cessna aircraft - which was fitted out with a large swinging door for ease of exit carried the bare minimum in creature comforts. With a brief thirty minute preparation and safety training, Julie said she really focused on listening to the instructor and when asked just before she jumped, exclaimed: "as ready as I'll ever be!".
With her legs in the correct position, the instructor grabbed onto the plane's strut then let go - Julie was out of the plane in what seemed an instant. Julie was strapped to the front of the skydiving instructor as she left the plane, with the instructor pulling the rip cord about 3,000 feet above the ground.
"Free fall was amazing, as my first skydive had been very much a 'clutched knuckles' descent, but true to my word I enjoyed every minute and made a point of giving the cameraman a big smile and thumbs up," she said: "When the main parachute opened, the pull upwards then the slow descent meant I was able to see the true beauty of the Scottish Perthshire countryside - seeing the impending snow storms that the hills were experiencing and one of the best ways to see that you normally wouldn't see."
As Julie and the instructor gently meandered down to earth, he had time to point out some of the features on the ground.
"The landing was relatively smooth and the cameraman captured the final parts of my parachute journey with asking me how I had found the experience - which with still being high on adrenaline, could only be described as amazing and fantastic."
Julie highly recommends people skydive for charity: "It is definitely an experience not to be missed and a good way to raise money."
Julie, who in 2003 was diagnosed with cancer, now works for CLAN as a manager. She said her employer wants to raise more than £3 million within the following two years to build a new support centre to offer services and support as well as accommodation for people affected by cancer as well as family and friends.
She explained: "My son Andrew knows only too well what support CLAN is able to offer to anyone affected by cancer. As this challenge had initially been his idea, and as his proud mum, I feel that it is only right that I in turn offer him support of which he and CLAN gave me."
For more information about CLAN please visit their website - www.clanhouse.org or to donate money towards the 123 Campaign please go to www.justgiving.com/clan123campaign
