A 66-year-old Askham woman is preparing for her 100th skydive on New Zealand’s North Island to raise funds for the British Hen Welfare Trust.
Jennifer Slee says she can’t wait to strap her parachute on again after a 43-year break from parachuting, and is hoping her all action approach will generate vital funds and support for the welfare of British hens.
Her 100th skydive is set to take place on October 22, weather permitting, at Lake Taupo on New Zealand’s North Island, as part of a once in a lifetime holiday.
Jennifer caught the bug for parachuting when she was a student at Aston University in Birmingham. The netball club or choir was not for her, she wanted to try her hand at parachuting. “It was sheer curiosity,” she said. However, despite going on to complete 99 jumps, her very first free fall attempt did not go smoothly.
“My 12th jump at that time was my first free fall jump, and was unusual in that the parachute failed — it didn’t open, even though I pulled the ripcord. Fortunately, the reserve parachute did open so that now, at the age of 66 and having recently received my bus pass, I’ll finally be able to round up the number of jumps to 100.
“Hopefully with no malfunctions this time. I did ‘relative work’, you know where you link hands in the sky and do shapes. I did all that, which is amazing given that my first free fall was a malfunction. At that age I wasn’t bothered. I just thought I want to go and do another one quickly, so I don’t stop doing it. I went straight up again. I said ‘If I don’t jump again now, I know I won’t do it again,’ and they let me.”
Jennifer still has her British Parachute Association logbook, from 1981, showing her 99th jump, and is hoping that after her 100th effort down under, she can have it updated with a fresh stamp.
The NZ skydive will be a tandem jump, with Jennifer attached to another person, parachuting 15,000ft. She said: “I am really pleased and looking forward to it. You are just flying through the air. The scenery is fantastic and it will be there — it will be spectacular which is why I want to do it there.”
Jennifer says her skydive for chickens is inspired by neighbours in Askham who re-home hens. Her love of chickens stems from her looking after her neighbours’ chickens when they go on holiday. Jennifer has already raised over £600 on her JustGiving page for the British Hen Welfare Trust.
“I thought I need to do more. Chickens and children are a perfect match, that is true, they love them as pets. The more people realise that, the more people might adopt them. They have all got their own characters just like any other animal.
“I buy one to two dozen eggs per week from a neighbour in Askham who gives a wonderful free range home to 14 of these chickens. I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 61 and whilst eggs are a fantastic food for everyone, I think they are particularly valuable as a superb source of protein for people with diabetes. If my 100th skydive can help generate funds for this fantastic charity, then I’ll be delighted.”
To support Jennifer or find out more about her chosen charity, visit www.justgiving.com/page/jennifer-slee-1726823781445
