Bishop’s wife to skydive for charity
 
 
Rosemary Butler, the wife of the Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham, will be taking huge leap of faith on Saturday (October 23rd), when she joins other fundraisers in a tandem skydive from 10,000 feet to raise money for the Church Mission Society (CMS).
 
Rosemary is no stranger to parachuting and completed 13 jumps as a student, including three freefall jumps from 3,200 feet.
She said: “When I was a student nurse in London the ambulance men used to jump and got me and a friend involved. I was scared but female pride made sure we jumped out the plane and once in the air it was thrilling.”
 
Although she hadn’t kept up the sport, she was encouraged to jump again by a friend who had a go recently.
 
Rosemary also aims to raise £1,000 for CMS through the stunt and after many years visiting their projects in Africa, she said she knows the money will directly help change the lives of children and young people suffering through ill health and poverty. One of the projects that will benefit includes a centre, set up by CMS partners Andy and Susie Hart, which offers a physiotherapy programme, helping disabled children to walk unaided, after being given up on by their communities. The Neema Crafts project also enables deaf and other disabled people to create crafts sold through a variety of outlets which has given a livelihood and hope to the 40 or so people involved. (This work has received international recognition recently since Susie Hart won the Window on the World Woman of the Year award.)
 
Rosemary will join fellow fundraisers, CMS staff members, Jonny Baker and Gail Philip, to make the jump at Hinton Airfield, Oxford. She said: “I think life begins at 50 and I believe it is good to have a go at something before writing it off. I was given a helicopter lesson as a 50th birthday present by family so that was good fun.”
 
Rosemary isn’t the only member of the family to try out parachuting, since her eldest daughter Caroline completed a tandem jump in New Zealand last year.
 
Anyone who wishes to help raise funds for CMS can donate on-line at: http://www.justgiving.com/RosemaryButlerSkydive
 
 
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