Sky Dive for Hertfordshire Mind

As part of our partnership with Helping Herts, brave supporters of ours have been taking to the skies across the year to raise vital funds for our children and young people services.  So far 6 people have taken on the challenge and we have five more to come before the summer weather comes to an end.

Hear below from Madi herself about the experience jumping with her friend Ben. One of Madi’s biggest takeaways was how much calmer she was than expected – this was shown in her heart rate during the plane ride and the subsequent descent during the dive. 

On the day we decided, we’re already here, we may as well jump from a greater height! Both Ben and I upgraded our jumps from 7,000ft to 10,000ft and this was the best decision we could have made. This meant instead of ten, we had a whole thirty seconds in free fall before pulling the parachute. The initial fall is scary, as your body attempts to right itself -but the feeling is like no other. Once you pulled the parachute I was soaring above the clouds, barely able to comprehend what I was doing. The instructor handed over the controls of the parachute, and we banked into a small break in the fluff of the clouds. During Ben’s jump, he took the instructor up on the opportunity to spin in his descent, something I didn’t have the stomach for! Videos from the day show him twirling near upside down at different points! Huge congratulations on his bravery! I would recommend this experience to anyone, it truly shifted my perspective on stress, and I’m now far less anxious as I start a new job in a few days.

Huge thanks to all those who have taken on this challenge and raised money. All donations will be generously matched by Helping Herts meaning the overall total will be doubled. At time of writing, divers have collectively raised over £5,000!

Posted on: 26th August 2026