Eighty-one-year-old Chris Copeland is not your average pensioner. In addition to being an avid yachtsman, he took up skydiving a decade ago to raise funds for the RNLI.
In his most recent feat, Chris leaped from a plane at 15,000 feet above Skydive Buzz in Dunkeswell, free falling for over a minute before deploying his parachute. Not only did this mark his 100th freefall jump, but, thanks to sponsorships and donations, he also achieved his goal of amassing £100,000 for the charity.
Over the past decade, Chris has dedicated himself to raising this substantial sum through his skydiving initiative, the Three Fall Challenge. In addition to taking the plunge himself, he encouraged others to do tandem jumps in support of the charity, ultimately recruiting 54 jumpers to assist in reaching the fundraising target.
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Jason Farant, chief instructor at Skydive Buzz, praised Chris’s determination and pointed out his extensive parachuting history, including 716 jumps in his youth as a member of the British Army’s 7th Parachute Regiment. Despite being in his early 80s, Chris remains committed to continuing his freefall adventures, expressing gratitude for the support from Skydive Buzz and aiming to continue raising funds for the RNLI in the years ahead.
RNLI’s Dave Nicoll lauded Chris as an inspiration and commended his exceptional fundraising efforts, emphasizing the impact of the substantial donation on training and equipping the volunteer lifeboat crew. He pointed out that Chris’s achievements have motivated others to contribute to the RNLI’s cause.