A Newcastle vicar has fulfilled a long-held ambition by giving a blessing from 14,000 feet in the air while completing his first ever skydive to raise money for children and families in his local community.
The Rev Gerard Rundell, vicar of St Aidan's Church in Brunton Park, Gosforth, jumped from a plane over Shotton Colliery in County Durham, raising more than £2,500 for the church's Family and Children's Worker Fund.
The fund supports a range of initiatives including an after-school club, a summer club, outreach work, and community and school events.
Rev Rundell described the experience to Newcastle's ChronicleLive as both exhilarating and unforgettable.
"It was great fun, I would certainly do it again," he said.
"It was beautiful up there above the clouds and as I descended I could look out to the sea and the Durham landscape. Going up in the plane was absolutely fine, but then there is that surreal moment when the sliding door opens, and that never feels quite right!
"But I was in safe hands. Once I jumped it was 50 seconds of freefall and then five minutes of parachuting."
The skydive took an unexpected turn when tandem instructor Ant Andrews asked him to bless cameraman Chris Brown while they were still in freefall.
"I was asked to give a blessing to the camera man. It was a wonderful experience and not something I was expecting at 14,000ft," he said.
Rev Rundell had previously described the skydive as a lifelong dream, and said the unusual fundraising challenge was an opportunity to support the church's ministry to children, young people and families.
He thanked those who had supported the appeal, saying: "Everyone has been incredibly generous. We are delighted at the amount of money this has raised and it will make a difference to how we support children, young people and families in our community.
"A huge thank you goes to everyone who has donated. We are very grateful indeed."
The skydive was also a family occasion, with Rev Rundell's sister, author Katherine Rundell, taking part on the same day.
"We had talked about doing a skydive and I'm so glad we did. It is something I had wanted to do for some time but I thought it would also be a great opportunity to raise some funds for our vital work," he said.
