Care home staff take to the sky to raise £1,000 for charity

TWO staff members from a nursing home in Frome together have raised £1,000 for the Alzheimer’s Society by parachuting from 15,000 feet out of an aeroplane.

With two-thirds of those being cared for at Frome Nursing Home living with both dementia and Alzheimer’s, Jessica Caine and Luke Barnett decided to raise charity funds with the parachute jump, which took place on Sunday 5th August, from Dunkeswell Airfield in Devon.

Jessica, who had done a parachute jump once before, said the views were incredible, but it was Luke’s first jump. Prior to taking off, he admitted to being terrified of heights, preferring his feet planted firmly on the ground.  Shortly after landing he said, “It was all over so quickly, I didn’t have time to be scared!”

They jumped from 15,000 feet as any higher would require oxygen tanks, and within seconds, they were plummeting downwards at 120mph, in a tandem jump, which is the easiest of all skydives.

It requires only 30 minutes of training before jumping, each strapped to a British Parachute Association tandem instructor. Jessica and Luke said that tandem jumping was a truly unforgettable experience, and a fantastic way to raise funds for their chosen charity.

They raised enough money to pay for two years’ worth of clinical trial drugs to search for an effective treatment for vascular dementia. Speaking afterwards, they said the day was a total success for both Frome Nursing Home, and for the Alzheimer’s Society.