2nd September 2008,

Braving the fog and impending storms, the nervous group – surrounded by their friends and family – arrived in March village, Cambridgeshire, at 8.00am for a brief training session and not so brief, but patient wait. When the clouds finally cleared after a frustrating five hours, the first group boarded the plane and leapt from the sky into a 5000ft, freefall drop in 30 seconds before descending the last 6000ft at speeds of over 70 mph.

The unprecedented event was organised by the newly formed Drugsline Events Team, who aim to engage more people with the charity’s values and raise much needed funds for Drugsline’s services – including the unique schools programme, soon to be launched crisis line for young people and the out-of-hours adult counseling group.

“It was the most exhilarating thing I have ever done – and to raise money for such an effective, special charity was so satisfying.”

Christina Ball, Drugsline’s Operations Director, stayed on site until the last person had jumped and commented:

“I am always struck by the dedication, loyalty and total commitment of long-standing volunteers, new recruits and members of staff; today was about more than fundraising – critical as it is – but was a way for us to set the standard for our future as a charity.

“We are very grateful to our Events team for facilitating the activities and to everyone who supported us. The jumpers were so brave and watching 30 of them drop out the sky was an unforgettable experience!

“I am confident that this is the first of many successful events; Drugsline operates on a national level and these funds are hugely significant to us and make a huge impact on our work.”

To donate to Drugsline’s jumpers, please visit www.justgiving.com/drugslineeventsteam. The Drugsline Events Teams will be hosting a golf day in October at Abridge, with a surprise celebrity guest. For more information, please email drugslineeventsteam@hotmail.com or call 020 8554 3220.