The Sheffield Lord Mayor has said that she is “excited” to be the first Lord Mayor to skydive from 15,000ft and raise money for three Sheffield charities.
Alice Gail Smith is doing the skydive on Friday 4th March to raise money for Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Trust, Friends of Hi5s, (a learning disabilities group of young people) and the Salvation Army.
Photo of Sheffield Lord Mayor with young people from Friends of Hi5s learning disabilities group.
Regarding the plunge from 15,000ft, she said: “I am not feeling nervous. I am feeling excited and looking forward to raising some money. This year has been a washout [for funding].
“It is something I have never planned do – however, I have always thought ‘wow, that must be amazing!’”.
She will be completing the skydive at the RAF Hibaldstow airfield in Doncaster as part of a team of 10.
These include her son-in-law Chris, three young people from Friends of Hi5s, and her 84-year-old neighbour Dorothy. Her neighbour had to do medical checks to ensure she is fit to do the jump.
They will be joined in the skydive by two sea cadets – Alfie Webster, the Lord Mayor’s sea cadet for the year, will be taking the plunge alongside his friend Kane Roche.
The Mayor added: “As a young person I used to love going to the fairground and Dad taking us to Blackpool.
“I am not doing this for any other reason than raising funds. I am not the sort of person who flaunts the press. It is nice to give something back and I am glad to have the opportunity to make a difference.”
The team will be setting off from Hackenthorpe Community Centre in Sheffield at 8.30am on the day to ensure they can do an hour of training between 9.30am and 10.30am.
They will be jumping at 11am and will land in a designated area of the airfield. They have been given a 30-minute slot to complete the jump.
15 young people from the Friends of Hi5s group will be coming along to watch the skydive from the ground.
The Sheffield Lord Mayor’s GoFundMe page has currently raised over £1200 and is aiming to reach £2000.
She is aiming to raise £25,000 for each of the charities by the end of her time in office as Lord Mayor.
You can donate to the Lord Mayor’s skydive here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/sheffield-lord-mayor-skydive?qid=13e37e771b47282321cad5e029a7b366.
The sea cadets also have fundraising pages, which you can donate to here:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/alfies-charity-sky-dive?qid=62bfb3872e092b50431bb3be62a3c925.