Beijing Olympic Medallist to take a leap of faith

by Alistair Meharg 10 Mar 2009 12:18 GMT 26 May 2009

British Olympic gold medallist Sarah Webb OBE is to undertake a sky dive at Netheravon Army garrison in Wiltshire. The jump is to take place on the 26th May and will be raising funds for her favourite charity, the Jubilee Sailing Trust (JST).

Sarah, who is a vice patron of the JST is to jump with the British Army Parachute display team, the Red Devils, and has pledged to raise at least £1000 for the experience.

The Southampton based JST is a registered charity which owns and operates two tall ships, Lord Nelson and Tenacious. Both ships are the only vessels of their type in the world that have been specifically designed to enable both able bodied and disabled crew to sail together as equals.

There are a variety of special facilities aboard which allow the mixed ability crew, including wheelchair users, to play a full and active role in every aspect of running a ship, from helming and setting sails to cleaning the ship, known as 'happy hour'.

Sarah is certainly in for a thrill of a lifetime as she experiences a 45 second freefall from 13,000ft, before a gentle 5 minute canopy ride back to the landing area - all while attached to one of the Red Devil's experienced tandem instructors.

Sarah said, "It takes a lot for me to jump out of a plane, but how could I refuse when asked to do just this for one of my favourite charities, the JST? Jumping with true pro's like The Red Devils I feel I'm in good hands. Let's just hope my nerves hold on the day!"

Members of the public are welcome to sign up for this challenge and help the JST continue its life changing work.

Pledge your support for Sarah and the JST at www.justgiving.com/sarahwebbobe

To find out how you can jump with Sarah this May please contact Matt at the Events department on 023 8044 9108.