Trish’s anniversary skydive for Farleigh

Trish is an advanced clinical nurse specialist who has been working at Farleigh Hospice for 10 years.

She visits patients at home to carry out an initial assessment after their referral to Farleigh, finding out what care and support they currently need and are likely to need in the future.

She then works with colleagues to ensure they receive high-quality, personalised care and support, so their symptoms are managed and they can live comfortably at home for as long as possible.

10^th anniversary skydive

When Trish found out that she could do a sponsored tandem skydive for Farleigh on 6 June – the exact date of her 10^th work anniversary – she jumped at the chance, despite being very scared of heights.

During a tandem skydive, you fly on a plane to around 13,000 feet (nearly two miles) above the ground. Strapped securely to an experienced instructor, you leave the plane and freefall at speeds of up to 150mph, descending to around 5,000 feet in under a minute before your parachute is released. You then gently glide back to earth, taking in the incredible views of the local area and beyond.

A few weeks before the skydive, Trish explained why she was taking on this exhilarating challenge. She said, “I’ve always wanted to jump out of a plane or wing walk. As the date of the skydive is exactly 10 years after I joined Farleigh, it felt like it was meant to be. But I’m terrible with heights, so I’m terrified!

Scared of heights

I’m fine with flying in the aeroplane. It’s just the idea of getting up there and sitting at the edge of the door, waiting to fall out that scares me the most.

I was asked to do a promotional video for the skydive, showing me jumping off a little bench in the hospice’s gardens, and I was shaking then. I can’t even go up into the loft at home!

Watch Trish’s video

I want to raise as much as I can for Farleigh Hospice. As scared as I am, it does not compare to how our patients and their families would feel if they were facing the end of their life without Farleigh’s care and support.

It is also a way for me to say thank you for the support that I’ve received at work, after I had surgery two years ago.

I’m doing the skydive in memory of my dad, who I lost in 2019 to leukaemia. He was a bit of a daredevil. My mum has got a ring with his ashes in it, so I’m going to put that on and take him up there with me. I’m thinking it will be fine. I’m sure once `I do it, I’ll love it…”

Safe landing

Poor weather conditions meant that Trish’s skydive was delayed by one day, so she completed it on Sunday 7 June.

When she was safely back on the ground, she said, “I felt terrified, exhilarated and so proud to support Farleigh Hospice!

The moment I stepped onto the airfield, the reality of what I was about to do hit me like a wave.

Farleigh Hospice is a place that holds so much compassion, dignity and care for people when they need it most. This thought sat in my chest right alongside the fear.

For the first few seconds, fear was everything then something shifted. The fear didn’t disappear – it transformed and it became exhilaration!

As the person who avoids ladders and hates balconies. I had thrown myself out of a plane… for something that mattered. I am not just proud of the jump — I am proud of why I did it. Every donation, every message of support, every thought of the people Farleigh Hospice cares for carried me through that moment.”