On 8th June 2006 Mike Aylott and Stuart Kitteringham successfully completed a 12,000 foot parachute jump at Chatteris Airfield, Cambridgeshire, with both Mike and Stuart completing separate tandem jumps.

This event had been organised months before by Jane Starr (Mike’s fiancée – right) and her sister Karen (Stuart’s girlfriend), yet just three weeks beforehand, on 17th May, Jane died suddenly, aged just 33.

The cause of death is still unknown, apart from the fact that her heart suddenly, and inexplicably, stopped working.

Once Jane passed away everyone was even more determined to go ahead with the jump in Jane’s memory, and in doing so raise some money for CRY.

So far over 340 donations have been made to the online donations page www.justgiving.com/jane-starr (page no longer available) in the space of just 19 days, raising over £10,700 for CRY in the process. Please click on the link above if you wish to make a donation.
Straight after the jump Stuart beamed “It was exhilarating, and I’m already making plans for my next jump”. Mike added “A terrific experience, despite suffering from altitude sickness and throbbing ear drums at 12,000 feet. And with seven people watching us on the ground and 23 ‘Good Luck’ texts that morning I felt a bit over-important as the instructor I was strapped to did all the work.”

Mike Aylott