Daring duo reach for the sky in aid of air ambulance charity!

A daring duo from Stronsay Junior High School are going from the sea to the sky in a bid to raise funds for Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA). 

Sheena Cooper and Andy Rose are regular sea swimmers come rain, wind or even snow - but they have decided to aim high with their fundraiser – a tandem skydive! 

They have already smashed their initial £1k target and are now sitting at £2,688.75 through donations and Gift Aid, but they are keen to raise as much as possible for this worthy cause. 

Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance is Scotland’s only charity-funded air ambulance service, and they rely on public support to keep flying and responding to time-critical emergencies wherever they occur in Scotland, including many in Orkney. 

Sheena, who is a support for learning assistant among a number of other jobs at the school, said: “I saw an advert for a tandem skydive pop up on my Facebook page last summer. There’s a group of us who swim in the sea every Sunday and I asked everyone if anyone wanted to do it with me, Andy was the only one who was up for it! 

“Andy is one of the first responders here so is involved with the air ambulance lifts. The air ambulance is something we all are very aware of here in the isles and is a vital service for us. My son, Sean, did say is that not a bit ironic jumping out of a plane in aid of the air ambulance! 

“We set our initial target as £1000 but this was exceeded in 48 hours! So the sky's the limit! We are paying the costs of the jump ourselves so every penny on the JustGiving page is going to Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance. 

Weather permitting, the jump takes place in St Andrews on Friday 18 April. 

Sheena said: “It takes about 15 minutes to get up in the plane. We will jump from about 10,000 feet with an instructor, freefall for 30 seconds or so at approx 120mph, then the chute is opened (there’s a spare one, I checked!) and we float (gracefully?) to the ground for 5-6 minutes!”  

Andy, who also has a number of roles at the school including as a support for learning assistant and relief early years practitioner, said: “I also have several other positions outwith the school supporting our community, one of which is a first responder for the Scottish Ambulance Service, so when Sheena suggested this crazy idea, for a very well-deserved charity, I was immediately onboard. 

“Having never parachuted before I must admit I’m a little nervous but extremely excited at the same time. The SCAA is a vital service that is needed not only in Scotland but especially so for our many island communities.” 

The couple have the support of the “massive” Stronsay community. 

Sheena added: “We are also accepting donations by cheque or cash to be added to the overall pot and the Stronsay pub kindly have a collection tin on the bar. 

“I am excited, although when I was on Loganair inter island plane recently and looked out the window I did think ‘eeeek’. We’re hoping friends will join us for a little celebration afterwards then we’ll travel back up to Stronsay. We’re hoping to have it videoed/photographed so we’ll have some evidence to share with everyone!” 

If you would like to donate to the cause, please head to https://tinyurl.com/35fckbjz