Horsham superhero skydiver John Waters to jump for St John

The sky’s the limit for St John Ambulance volunteer, John Waters, from Horsham in West Sussex, who is amongst the first to sign up for St John Ambulance’s latest fundraising event – the Superhero Skydive.
By The Newsroom
Published 27th Jun 2014, 15:56 BST
St John Ambulance volunteer, John Waters, from Horsham in is amongst the first to sign up for St John Ambulances latest fundraising event, the Superhero Skydive.St John Ambulance volunteer, John Waters, from Horsham in is amongst the first to sign up for St John Ambulances latest fundraising event, the Superhero Skydive.
St John Ambulance volunteer, John Waters, from Horsham in is amongst the first to sign up for St John Ambulances latest fundraising event, the Superhero Skydive.

And he hopes many more people will join him by signing up to support the first aid charity and help save more lives.

John, 61, of West Grinstead, will be doing the tandem parachute jump from 10,000 feet at an airfield near Maidstone this September. Meanwhile, back on the ground, the money he raises will help the nation’s leading first aid charity continue its mission of saving lives.

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John is taking on the skydiving challenge because he wants to further support the life saving work of St John Ambulance and its volunteers.

He started volunteering with the nation’s leading first aid charity five years ago when he relocated to Sussex. He’d previously been a Special Constable with the Metropolitan Police Service and on moving to Horsham he signed up to do a three hour Essential First Aid course with St John to brush up on his first aid skills. Immediately he knew he wanted to do more and since then he’s never looked back. John is now a volunteer with Horsham Adult Unit and is a Youth Leader with Southwick Cadet Unit.

John has used his first aid knowledge whilst volunteering as a Special and with St John Ambulance. He’s performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation four times - most recently in April 2012 when he was part of a team of medics who helped saved the life of a 64-year-old man who’d gone into cardiac arrest at the Amex stadium.

John believes more people should learn first aid and is the main reason for him taking on his first ever skydive: ‘By jumping out of a plane I hope it’ll help promote the work of the organisation, for which I’m extremely proud to volunteer with. Fundraising for the charity can help others learn life saving skills too, which could one day be the difference between a life lost and a life saved.’

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To make a donation, go to www.doitforcharity.com/JonathanWaters

John will be one of many skydivers fundraising for St John Ambulance throughout the summer. The first aid charity is challenging people to unleash their inner superhero with its latest fundraising events – the Superhero Skydive and the September Superhero Stroll.

The charity has partnered with Skyline in the national skydiving initiative to raise funds. Training and the skydive are completed in one day and those who sign up will make the jump in tandem harnessed to an experienced parachute jumper. And people have the option to come dressed in their favourite superhero costume too!**

Anyone who is aged 16 or over (with parental consent) can take part. By paying an initial non-refundable registration fee* of £70 and raising a minimum of £395 for St John Ambulance you jump for free. Alternatively you can pay an initial registration fee of £70 and pay for £200 jump costs then simply fundraise as much as you can. By registering, you will be able to select the nearest participating airfield to your home from a list of 20 locations, all approved by the British Parachute Association. There are many airfields involved in the scheme, including Maidstone, Salisbury, Swindon, Brackley and Cambridge. Age and weight restrictions apply.

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Mia Broughton, Regional Fundraising Co-ordinator, said: ‘We hope everyone will get behind John and sponsor him to take part in our Superhero Skydive event. And we are still looking for more people to sign up too. If you’ve always felt there was something more to life than your normal routine, you want to celebrate a milestone in a unique way, or if you’re just the type of person who loves a challenge, then our Superhero Skydive is just the thing. You’ll have an unforgettable experience, and people in your community – and communities across the country - will benefit as a result.’

If skydiving’s a leap too far, you can still help save lives by signing up for the September Superhero Stroll – just gather your friends, colleagues or classmates and plan out a sponsored walk wearing your favourite superhero costume in aid of St John Ambulance.

To register for the St John Ambulance Superhero Skydive visit www.sja.org.uk/superhero or call Mia Broughton on 01296 744 378 or email mia.broughton@sja.org.uk