Archbishop skydives for Afghanistan troops

The Archbishop of York has successfully completed a12,500ft parachute jump in aid of the Afghanistan Trust.

Dr John Sentamu had been due to jump last month but it was called off due to bad weather. The skies were clear enough on Friday, however, allowing the Archbishop to make his leap with a member of the Red Devils parachute display team over Langar Airfield in Nottinghamshire.

During his 45-second free-fall, two other members of the Red Devils joined the Archbishop in mid-air, with orange smoke streaming from canisters strapped to their leg, for a mini-display routine.

The jump was in a bid to raise £75,000 for the Afghanistan Trust. The charity supports the families of paratroopers from 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment, who have been wounded or killed whilst serving in Afghanistan.

He was inspired to take the leap after meeting Yorkshire businessman Guy Brudenell at a charity dinner to raise funds for the Trust.

The Archbishop's parachute opened at 5,000ft and he landed safely back at the airfield in just five minutes.

He described the experience as "absolutely exhilarating" to journalists after the jump.
"Once you fell out, it was just fantastic," he added.