Revd Gerard Rundell, vicar at St Aidan's Church in Brunton Park, Gosforth, fulfilled a long-term ambition by skydiving from 14,000 feet over Shotton Colliery in County Durham on Saturday, June 13. During the jump, he blessed the cameraman filming him, Chris Brown, at the request of tandem instructor Ant Andrews.
A Surprise Blessing at 14,000 Feet
Rev Rundell described the experience as surreal. 'Going up in the plane was absolutely fine, but then there is that surreal moment when the sliding door opens, and that never feels quite right!' he said. 'But I was in safe hands. Once I jumped it was 50 seconds of freefall and then five minutes of parachuting.'
The unexpected request to bless the cameraman added a unique spiritual dimension to the jump. 'I was asked to give a blessing to the camera man. It was a wonderful experience and not something I was expecting at 14,000ft,' Rev Rundell added.
Fundraising for Community Work
The skydive raised more than £2,500 for the church's Family and Children's Worker Fund, which supports an after-school club, summer club, outreach, and community and school events. 'Everyone has been incredibly generous. We are delighted at the amount of money this has raised and it will make a difference to how we support children, young people and families in our community,' Rev Rundell said.
His sister, Katherine Rundell, author of Impossible Creatures, also skydived on the same day. 'We had talked about doing a skydive and I'm so glad we did. It is something I had wanted to do for some time but I thought it would also be a great opportunity to raise some funds for our vital work,' he concluded.
