Sarah Liveing – Supporting the Urban Scholars Programme for talented and gifted disadvantaged young people.
This is Sarah’s Brunel story: "On a beautiful June day I set off for Hinton in the Hedges, a quaint sounding place in the Oxfordshire countryside. I was a woman on a mission. It’s not every day that you jump out of an aircraft and I was determined that having decided to support Urban Scholars at Brunel University, I was going to do them proud. Lots of people had sponsored me and I really didn’t want to let them down.
I had thought I would be feeling nervous as we drove along the motorway... but I wasn’t. We left the motorway and proceeded along country lanes. Again, I thought the nerves would kick in as we got closer and closer to our
destination, but they didn’t.
On arrival I was introduced to the instructor to whom I would be strapped. My name went up on a big board and that was it, no going back. I was down to jump on the next available aircraft. All I needed now was the right clothing and some training. Surprisingly there is not much you need to know so training done, I was put in some oversized overalls with a harness. Sporting some funny headgear and goggles, we headed to the plane. I was first on which meant last off. All the while I was expecting to get nervous but I genuinely wasn’t.
By now I was strapped to my Tandem Instructor and sitting almost on his lap as we ascended to our jumping altitude. The door of the aircraft opened and my fellow jumpers departed leaving just me and my man. We sat on the edge of the plane, legs dangling out. As instructed I tucked my legs between his and I waited for his signal. Tap tap! And we were away. What an exhilarating feeling, soaring through the sky for what seemed like ages but was only a minute. The feeling of weightlessness and freedom is amazing. Then there was the signal that he was opening the parachute and after a brief upward surge, we were meandering back to terra firma.
It was an amazing experience which I thoroughly enjoyed. The fact that I was able to support Urban Scholars in this way was an added bonus for me. The support from family and friends was fantastic and raised some much needed funds to support the Urban Scholars programme – a great day out for a worthwhile cause!"
Sarah Liveing