My story

More background on our JG blog

IT WAS AWESOME GOOD FUN. JUMPED AT FOUR PM FRI 27 JUNE. VIDEO ON YouTube (to follow) AND PICS ON Flickr. THANK YOU TO RICHARD AND ALEX AND EVERYONE AT THE HEADCORN PARACHUTE CLUB AND THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY WHO DONATED TO MY PAGE. Thank you to all my fabulous colleagues at Justgiving for their invaluable support and encouragement. LOVE FROM MIKE

Hello everybody, thank you for visiting my new fundraising page,

SUNDAY 1 JUNE. The adrenalin rush was there, but the clouds refused to part long enough to cut a pair of sailor's trews, so the jump is rescheduled for FRIDAY 27 JUNE. Fingers crossed and thank you again for all your generous donations.

Cousin Doris (in the middle of my photo) is helping with my fundraising and has written to me to say how pleased she is that Help the Aged are involved in the Disaster Emergency Committee's work to help the crisis in Burma, so please help Help the Aged and HelpAge international who are co-ordinating an emergency response team to ensure that older people across the worst affected areas are not forgotten by the aid effort. PLEASE MAKE A DONATION.

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On my Bucket List (things to do before I kick it!) is a parachute jump. I have always wanted to fly, so now I have decided to take the plunge and do a tandem skydive to raise money for Help the Aged.

Across the planet the human population is ageing, but this phenomenon is particularly marked in the industrial democracies. In 2002 life expectancy at birth in the UK was 75.9 years for men and 80.5 years for women.

Pictured on my page from left to right are my mother, Joan, in her eighties, our cousin Doris, in her nineties and myself, now over 21 years old. Both Joan and Doris are very fit, well and active and are enjoying their retirement after long working lives and bringing up children - who dote on them.

Not all our elderly people are as fortunate as they are and not so many of my contemporaries are as lucky as I am to have such happy and dynamic parents and relatives who are great, stimulating company and who still have so much to give. Furthermore, they are living links to our heritage. Joan, for instance, is fascinating to talk to about growing up in London in the 1920s and 1930s, her life in uniform in the WAAF during World War II, learning to drive on an air force truck and who she voted for in 1945 (neither Churchill nor Atlee as it happens).

A few facts from Help the Aged, which should put a rich country like ours to shame: 20% of UK pensioners (over 2 million people) live below the poverty line; 1 in 3 live in sub-standard accommodation; over 1 million older people cannot afford to heat their homes properly.

Please sponsor me, in part to flatter my Icarus vanity (the jumps costs about £200), but more importantly to give Help the Aged the means to help less fortunate elderly people live a better, more involved and fulfilling life.

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Help the Aged will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.

So please sponsor me now!

Many thanks for your support.

Mike (a.k.a. Icarus the Birdman).

THANKS TO THE WIMBLEDON WELLS'S FOR THEIR GENEROUS OFFLINE DONATION

My gallery 2

My Teams

My company

My charity

Age UK

Age UK

Charity Registration No. 1128267

Age Concern and Help the Aged have joined forces to become Age UK – so that we can be here for everyone in later life. Without your help‚ we cannot provide the vital information‚ advice and services that help millions of older people. Please visit www.ageuk.org.uk for more information.

Donations 97

You get a lot of money on Saturday.

Donation by Jase on 05/04/08

£2.00

+ £0.56 Gift Aid

Working on a Saturday.

Donation by Jase on 05/04/08

£2.00

You're getting closer to your target!

Donation by Jase on 05/04/08

£2.00

Slow is good...particularly at touchdown!

Donation by Andy on 04/04/08

£20.00

+ £5.64 Gift Aid

Think of us while you're up there

Donation by Daniele on 01/04/08

£20.00

Please be careful, I don't like this .,....

Donation by Jesper on 31/03/08

£50.00

Stay away from the sun, Icarus meboy!

Donation by Kevin on 22/03/08

£2.00

Me again Mikey!

Donation by Gasoine on 19/03/08

£2.00

+ £0.56 Gift Aid

Guess who?

Donation by Gasoine on 19/03/08

£2.00

+ £0.56 Gift Aid

Go for it!

Donation by Marianna on 13/03/08

£25.00

Good luck Mike. Be careful. We need you on helpdesk!

Donation by Kai Chan Vong on 12/03/08

£10.00

+ £2.82 Gift Aid

I am very impressed, the best of luck!

Donation by Gareth on 12/03/08

£50.00

Look forward to the pics...

Donation by Sophie on 12/03/08

£10.00

+ £2.82 Gift Aid

How did the blind parachutist know when he was about to hit the ground? The dog's lead went slack. (I'll be here all week...!)

Donation by Jen Foster-Hall on 11/03/08

£30.00

+ £8.46 Gift Aid

I jumped and it was the most amazing experience, you will love it!! Good luck with the fundraising.

Donation by Jacqueline Crane on 10/03/08

£10.00

+ £2.82 Gift Aid

Please take the poodles with you

Donation by Zeb and Lulu on 09/03/08

£25.00

+ £7.05 Gift Aid

But Mike...Icarus fell! It was the bucket for him! Still, I guess you won't get anywhere near the sun in Maidstone and will have a great time!

Donation by Mia on 09/03/08

£20.00

+ £5.64 Gift Aid

Don't use anything that melts to attach yourself to the 'chute

Donation by John & Bev on 09/03/08

£10.00

+ £2.82 Gift Aid

I'd have to be in tandem with George Clooney to even consider this....

Donation by Jacqui Flo on 09/03/08

£20.00

+ £5.64 Gift Aid

scream all the way down

Donation by james on 09/03/08

£10.00

+ £2.82 Gift Aid

It's amazing what you can do with enough feathers & a bucket of clag...

Donation by An ovid supporter on 07/03/08

£20.00

+ £5.64 Gift Aid

Reach for the sky!

Donation by Daedalus on 25/02/08

£2.00

+ £0.56 Gift Aid

Donation summary

  • * Online donations£1,155.00
  • Offline donations£170.00
  • Text donations£0.00
  • Total raised£1,325.00
  • Gift Aid£208.15

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