We’re immensely proud of Rumba Ambassador Simon Rymes, who launched himself out of plane on Sunday 26th May in a sponsored skydive for The Rumba Foundation. Read Simon’s account of his amazing adventure, and the story behind it:
“This wasn’t my first skydive; in 2011 I made a jump to raise funds for the NSPCC, but this time it was a lot more personal. I lost my beloved dog Alfie to prostate cancer last year. I had taken him to three specialists in the hope of finding a cure, but the only treatment available would have prolonged his life for just a few weeks. Even so, I knew that cancer doesn’t always have to mean a death sentence for pets. So, in honour of Alfie, I decided to lend whatever support I could to organisations working to save or extend the lives of other animals.
And that’s how my partner Sherry and I came into contact with The Rumba Foundation. Having researched several charities, we were really impressed by the way that money raised by Rumba goes directly to fund pioneering research and therapies for animal patients. We’d found our home!
When Rumba’s Founding Trustees, Jim and Fiona Hindle, invited us to become Ambassadors for the charity we were delighted. I was keen to start contributing to its fundraising mission as soon as possible.
Which is why, a few months later, I found myself climbing into an aircraft and preparing to take that 13,000 ft leap. I really wanted to do my best for Alfie and the charity.
First-time skydivers have to undertake a ground training session. This covers general safety guidelines and shows you how to leave the plane and land. Having done it before, though, I didn't need much preparation, except to book the day, turn up and jump – and this is one of the reasons why it seemed the most attractive fundraising route for me.
The skydive had originally been scheduled for a few weeks earlier, but when the day came, the jump had to be cancelled due to bad weather. And even when we got the go-ahead for 26th May, we had to wait around for several hours to make absolutely sure the conditions were right.
During those tense hours, my emotions were pretty mixed as we didn’t know for certain that the weather would let us do the jump, so it was a relief to finally get the all-clear.
In the plane on that day were four students, four tutors and two cameramen – these were for the jumpers who were having their skydive filmed (me being one of them).
My nerves were calm until I got near the door of the plane and then I had a flutter of panic. But once I was flying through the clouds, it was obvious there was no turning back. I just kept thinking about Alfie during the 60 seconds of free fall.
I’d love to say the whole exercise was a stroll in the park – but to be honest, I don’t like heights, so even doing that second jump was a big challenge for me. But once I was back on the ground, I was overjoyed to have been able to raise a substantial amount of money for The Rumba Foundation in Alfie’s name. It was so worthwhile – and who knows, I may even consider having another go in the future. Watch this space …”
Simon covered the costs of the skydive himself and succeeded in raising almost £2,000, including gift aid. On the day, he was supported by Rumba Founding Trustee Jim Hindle, as well as his family and friends.
Everyone at Rumba sends heartfelt thanks to Simon. The funds he has raised will have a direct impact on the lives of animals. What a brilliant tribute to his special dog, Alfie!
If you’ve been inspired to support Simon’s skydive, you can do so via his JustGiving page .
