A volunteer at Brecon & District Mind has completed her 'lifelong dream' of skydiving - all in aid of the charity.
Christine Bullock fell 10,000 feet on November 11 last year, reaching speeds of 125mph over the space of a 30-second free fall.
Christine has raised more than £1,350 for Brecon & District Mind by taking the plunge.
"From my late teens doing abseiling, I have always dreamed of skydiving," said Christine.
"Life took other turns, children came along and work commitments too. By the time I decided to look into it, I was met with a major problem, I was way too heavy."
Christine lost seven stone and began walking and getting fitter, then decided to look into the idea of a skydive once again.
"To my joy and amazement I was now within the weight range," she said.
"I had a medical form from the doctor and given the all-clear to jump."
Christine has been volunteering with Brecon and District Mind for more than a year and a half.
"I used their services myself and wanted to give something back, so I decided to volunteer," she said.
"With their help, I filled in forms for the skydive."
After the jump day was cancelled several times due to bad weather, Christine completed her skydive on November 11.
"I jumped out of a plane on a tandem jump at 10,000 feet, free falling for 30 seconds at a speed of 125 miles per hour," she said.
"I had finally fulfilled a lifetime dream and raised over £1,350 for a good cause.
"The actual jump was amazing, the views were unbelievable. It was a day I will never forget. I recommend anyone who has a dream to go for it.
"Brecon and District Mind is a charity who help anyone who is struggling with their mental health. Without their help, I wouldn’t be where I am today."
![Christine Bullock skydive](https://www.brecon-radnor.co.uk/tindle-static/image/2024/01/03/22/57/Christine%20Bullock%20skydive.jpg?trim=0,0,0,0&width=669&height=445&crop=669:445)
Marie Davies, CEO at Brecon & District Mind said: "Christine has had so much support from friends, family and local groups which has helped raise awareness of our local mental health support available as well as crucial funds so we can continue to offer vital support and services in the area.
"She has worked so hard to make her dream come true and it was a pleasure to see the video of the experience, which inspired our poetry group lead Phil Pashley to write this poem."
The wind was calm
The sky was clear
The day Christine harnessed fear
A loyal Volunteer
Cheerful, Caring, Kind
Raising money for Brecon Mind
Overlooking Swansea
A day to remember
An awesome achievement
On the eleventh day of November
Jumping from a plane
Some ten thousand feet high
Then a thirty second free fall
Up in the sky
The wind was calm
The sky was clear
The day Christine
Showed no fear
The day Christine
Harnessed fear!
If you are inspired to fundraise for Brecon and District Mind or would like to donate to support local mental health and wellbeing support, you can:
• Visit their website at https://breconmind.org.uk/donating/
• Email [email protected]
• Call 01874 611 529
Brecon and District Mind needs more volunteers like Christine to support their work, including volunteering at their Wellbeing Centre in Brecon, weekly groups in Hay and Talgarth, fundraising and raising awareness at events throughout the area.
Volunteering at Brecon & District Mind can be regular or flexible and the charity has a number of roles available as well as bespoke roles to suit special skills and talents, in order to support them to be ‘Here when you need us to help you manage your mental health and wellbeing’.
Visit their website at https://breconmind.org.uk/get-involved/ to find out more about volunteering and find their application form or call for an informal chat to explore how your time can make a difference.