Kentish Express Ashford & District
Family take a leap for Samaritans
Reaching speeds of up to 120 mph, a brave family flew three miles above the earth and jumped out of a “perfectly good airplane.”
Ashford Samaritan, Ray Hulme, celebrated his 70th birthday in style as he and five family members took part in a hairraising skydive to raise funds and awareness for male suicide prevention campaign – Big Boys Do Cry.
Mr Hulme, his son Warren, 39, from Canada, daughters Kelly, 39, from Northampton and Zoe, 41, from Herne Bay, son-in-law Peter Lea, and cousin local GP Andrew Taylor took part in the charity stunt on Wednesday, August 10.
Mr Hulme, from Dymchurch, said: “Us mad but fearless aviators flew to three miles above the earth and jumped out of a perfectly good airplane.
“We were free falling for about two miles at speeds of up to 120 mph and we raised an amazing £12,000 to continue the campaign.
“We did t he skydive at Dunkeswell in Dorset because it is one of the few drop zones that offers skydives from 15,000 feet and because it is situated close to sea level it is the only one in the world that guarantees a threemile high drop.”
Big Boys Do Cry is a poster campaign spearheaded by Ashford Samaritans and aims to break down the barriers that prevent suicidal men from seeking help.
Mr Hulme added: “It’s a real problem for us. But an even bigger problem is that we can’t reach out to these people because men see it as a sign of weakness to ask for help.”
The Mayor of Ashford Cllr George Koowaree recently unveiled posters in the Civic Centre, which will be seen in public places and are also featured on buses.
The campaign is initially being trialled in Ashford and will expand to other parts of Kent over the next two or three months at a cost of about £90,000.
Middle-aged men account for almost 55% of all suicides, and it kills more men in that age group than heart disease, cancer or traffic accidents.
For more information or to support the campaign visit www. facebook.com/BigBoysDoCry.