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Grantham man takes part in charity skydive to mark milestone birthday
A Grantham man celebrated his 30th birthday by jumping out of a plane for charity.
Last year Ashley Smith, of Kinoulton Court, hit the big 30 and was given a skydive voucher from his mum Sue and step-dad.
Due to the Covid pandemic he could not use the voucher last year. However, Ashley was determined to do the skydive this year before he turned 31. Instead of just jumping out of a plane to celebrate his birthday, he wanted to make even more memorable by doing it for charity.
Ashley decided to do the skydive to raise money for Grantham Disabled Children Society (GDCS), a non-profit organisation that supports local families who have children with additional needs.
Ashley younger brother Ryan who was born with Down syndrome, chromosome 6 deletion and is also on the autism spectrum, is a member.
The sky dive eventually took place at Langar Airfield on Monday. Ashley was partnered with his tandem instructor Ben Mitchell.
Once the aircraft climbed to 15,000 feet, Ashely and his partner jumped from the plane having a few controlled spins during their descent.
Ashley said: “The descent was stunning and as it was a clear day, I was able to look over the counties of Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire.”
£900 has already been raised for GDCS, but Ashley is hoping to raise more.
If anyone would like to donate, please visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/gdcs-skydive
To find out more about the important work of GDCS, check out the GDCS Information page on Facebook or via Twitter @GDCS2013