Two Writhlington School Sixth Form students soared and then fell from a great height in a bid to raise money for charity.
Sixth Form students, Hannah Bennett and Helena Midgley, took part in a 10,000 ft tandem parachute jump in Swindon last term to raise money for their two charities, the Great Western Air Ambulance and Action for Children.
Action for Children supports more than 300,000 children, young people, parents and carers through 650 projects across the UK. The girls also chose local charity, the Great Western Air Ambulance, who provide critical services to over nine counties, including B&NES. The service is called upon on average four times a day to emergency cases. Although the service is run mostly by volunteers, the cost still tops £1.7 million a year.
Fundraising Manager for Great Western Ambulance, Emma Carter, said: "It's fantastic to see young people get involved and take on such impressive challenges to help fundraise. Every donation is vital and so we really appreciate the lengths the girls have gone to support us."
Setting off with promising weather, the girls made their way to the Swindon-based training centre where they took part in a safety briefing and training session. Helena Midgley said: "This really was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You get such a rush of adrenalin when you first climb into the plane. The scariest part is when you first lean out of the plane at 10,000 feet, because you are strapped to someone, you're just left leaning out of a plane with no control. It was an exhilarating experience and I am so pleased we managed to raise a substantial amount of money."
The girls landed in a field nearby, with their family and friends there to congratulate them.