Great Heights for a Great Cause

This Sunday Peter Hamilton from Trowbridge in Wiltshire, is taking the word inspirational to new levels as he prepares to do a skydive for charity a year and a half after having a skydiving accident that left him paralysed from the chest down.

34-year-old Peter first discovered his love of parachute jumping while at University.  Following a move from the UK to New York for work 10 years later, Peter was finally able to take the sport up on a regular basis thanks to the better climate.

After completing over five hundred jumps in the space of four years Peter was dealt a cruel blow when his 523rd jump resulted in a bad landing, causing him to roll several times and subsequently break his neck and severely injure his spinal cord.

Climbing Mountains

Following the accident Peter spent four months in a rehabilitation unit in the US after which he moved back to Salisbury in the UK to be near his family.  It was here in the Duke of Cornwall Spinal Treatment Centre at Salisbury District Hospital that Peter met 17-year-old Ben Ager.  Ben had also been involved in an accident which left him tetraplegic and after talking about their accidents, Peter and Ben vowed to do a skydive together.

Peter comments: “Ben was in the bed next to mine in the spinal unit and one day we got talking.  Ben was saying he had always fancied doing a parachute jump but he thought there would be no chance of him ever doing one following his accident.  I was quick to tell him I had seen many disabled people complete jumps and we vowed there and then that one day we would do a jump together.

“Two soon became three after Simon Thompson, another patient in the spinal unit, decided he wanted to jump too.  Before we knew it four members of staff from the spinal unit had also volunteered.”

Exciting Times

Fast forward a year and the extraordinary trio and staff are preparing to jump 10,000 feet out of a plane on Sunday 9th September at the home of British army parachuting in Netheravon, Salisbury.  Peter adds: “I’m nervous because it’s been so long since my last jump but I’m also very excited.  I think this will probably be my last jump but once I’m up there feeling the rush of falling through the sky there is every chance I’ll change my mind!”

Peter’s jump will raise money for the Back Up Trust, a charity that aims to reintroduce people with spinal cord injuries to outdoor activities and mentor them through their adjustment back into daily life.  Peter continues: “The Back Up Trust is a great charity and I have them to thank for helping to organise this jump.  They do really great work with people who have suffered a spinal cord injury and hopefully the money I raise will help them to continue their important work.”

Allied Mobility is delighted to be supporting Peter with a donation.  If you would like to donate to Peter’s charity jump simply visit his Just Giving page -http://www.justgiving.com/Jump-524.