A MELKSHAM woman, who is registered as blind, has taken part in a skydive to raise money for charity – and if that wasn’t enough, once she had landed, she took off again for her first flying lesson!
Barbara Buckle, took part in the skydive last month at Old Sarum airfield, Salisbury, jumping out of the plane at 15,000ft. Barbara raised £700 for Wiltshire Air Ambulance.
“I was inspired to take part in the event after hearing about the skydive whilst listening to the Melksham Talking Newspaper (the audio version of Melksham News),” explained Barbara.
“I phoned up to register and instead of fundraising to raise the £500 needed to take part, I paid for it myself. I’ve raised another £200 thanks to the support of local groups and businesses like Queensway Chapel, Co-op and Melksham Insurance Brokers, which is a bonus.
“I wanted to do this to show that I can do anything that a person with sight takes for granted. I don’t let my lack of sight, or my hip replacement, stop me from doing anything.
“Jumping out of that plane was great. At first the sensation felt like I was tripping over, but once it continued, it was wonderful!
“As soon as I landed, I walked across the airfield, got into a plane and took off again for a one-hour flying lesson. The flight took me over Salisbury and the instructor told me that we flew over places like Stonehenge. I did this for the experience – it was a one-off thing. I really enjoyed it.”
With her feet firmly back on solid ground, Barbara has already made plans for her next dare-devil adventure with a hot air balloon ride booked for next week. She also plans to try her hand at some crazy go-karting.
