High-flying gran’s £1k windfall
V FULFILLING A long-time ambition, a 67-year-old Stanmore grandmother completed a charity sky-dive in Cambridgeshire on Sunday.
Retired residential property manager Ruth Gomm descended from 10,000 feet, describing the experience as “incredible”.
She has to date raised £1,200 for Jewish Care’s Anita Dorfman House at Sandringham where her mother, who has vascular dementia, is a resident.
“Since I was small, I have always wanted to jump out of an aeroplane and fly like a bird,” Mrs Gomm explained. “So a sky-dive was on my bucket list and fundraising is my way of saying a huge thank you to the staff for looking after my mum.”
She said the sky-dive had been “scary, amazing, overwhelming and noisy. Having nothing beneath me except clouds was incredible and we were freefalling through the clouds down to a height of approximately 3,000 feet.
“[My instructor] Kevin pulled the parachute cords and they were twisted so we had to pirouette to untangle them. But then we started to drift and float down. It was totally quiet and still — the air felt so clear and beautiful. I started to relax and really enjoy myself, feeling weightless and calm.”
Mrs Gomm had wanted to reciprocate the support Jewish Care had given her mother. She said she had initially been “unhappy, stressed and wouldn’t mix with the other residents.
“Several years later, my mum is a different person. She now sits with other residents in the communal lounge, enjoys watching TV, listening to the musical entertainment and joins in with Friday night kiddush.
“Mum is so much calmer and more relaxed and that is all down to the wonderful carers and nurses.”
Having nothing beneath me but clouds was incredible