A Bridlington man has taken part in Macmillan Cancer Support’s charity skydive to celebrate his wife being five years in remission from cancer.
Paul Tinsley, 52, has helped to raise more than £56,000 as one of a team of 22 daring fundraisers who leapt from an aeroplane at the weekend. The tandem skydive raised money for Macmillan Cancer Support as part of the charity’s partnership with York Racecourse.
Macmillan, in partnership with York Racecourse, have raised more than £9.5 million for people living with cancer over the course of 50 years. ‘Jump of Their Lives’ provides a unique way for people to enjoy an adrenaline-fuelled day of fundraising like no other, with participants also welcomed to Macmillan Charity Raceday at York Racecourse as VIP guests on Saturday 17th June.
Paul added, “We received practical, emotional support and just advice from Macmillan. I think we had some financial support too. It was all kinds of things and it was nice to have someone to lean on at the time.You don’t really realise just what Macmillan offers until you need them.”
John Rullo, Macmillan’s Fundraising Manager, said: “It was a wonderful tribute and gesture from Paul to his wife, Christine, to commit to throwing himself out of a plane for her!
The ‘Jump of Their Lives’ team can still be supported at www. justgiving.com/campaign/ jumpoftheirlives2023 or you can support Macmillan by attending Macmillan Charity Raceday.
“It was absolutely amazing,” said Paul, who lives just minutes from where the jump took place at Grindale Airfield.
“We had the perfect day for it. The skies were clear and you could see for miles around.To be honest, I didn’t really know what to expect, but I wasn’t nervous at all. It felt quite surreal like it wasn’t actually happening, even on the way up in the plane!
“The first time it felt real was when we fell out of the plane and that 30 seconds of falling you’re struggling to get your breath…but it was absolutely fantastic to be a part of it.”
