Charity Skydive

A charity skydive is where you can skydive, and persuade family and friends to sponsor it, with a minimum amount going to a selected charity. The charity then pays the cost of the skydive.

There are several types of skyjumps, and generally the more daring the jump, the higher the minimum funds you have to raise. It ranges from around £300 -£600. As with any skydiving or risk sport of this type, there are regulations about who can do it. They generally are: age between 16 and 50, normal weight, and good health.

Here are some UK resources:

Learning Disabilities:www.LearningDisabilities.og.uk
London Parachute School: www.londonparachuteschool.com/charity.html
SkyDive Aurora (Norfolk): www.skydiveaurora.co.uk/charity.htm
SkyDive Zone: www.skydivezone.co.uk/jumpforcharity.htm

Once you decide that this is what you would like to do, you can go to a skydiving website and select a charity that you wish to support. A small deposit is usually required by the charity to reserve a place, and the charity then arranges the jump with a skydiving school. By reserving a place, you commit to raising the minimum required, and the charity receives around £150 of that. The actual fundraising does not have to be completed before the jump. If this is the case, and the funds have yet to be raised, the skydiver must pay the cost of the jump on the day, which will be returned to you together with the deposit once you submit the proceeds of the sponsorship.

Often people raise much more than the minimum so that the charity ends up with a larger sum of money. Sometimes an individual will choose to pay for the jump himself, so that the entire proceeds of the sposorship go to charity. But in most cases, it is a chance for people who can’t afford this sport but dream of doing it, to get a free jump, and raise money for a charity at the same time. The charity gains by receiving funds that it otherwise would not have.