Grantham man takes part in charity skydive to mark milestone birthday

A Grantham man finally took part in a charity skydive this week to mark his 30th birthday last year.

When Ashley Smith, of Kinoulton Court, received a skydive voucher from his mum Sue and step-dad Darryl Blair last year, he decided to turn it into a fund-raiser for Grantham Disabled Children Society (GDCS), a non-profit organisation that supports local families who have children with additional needs.

Ashley’s little brother Ryan is a member after he was born with Down syndrome, chromosome 6 deletion and is also on the autism spectrum.

Ashley was forced to postpone his original jump date twice, firstly when he contracted Covid-19 and then because of bad weather, but he was determined to complete it before he turned 31 on Tuesday (September 7).

The sky dive took place at Langar Airfield on Monday where Ashley was partnered with his tandem instructor Ben Mitchell.

After climbing to a height of 15,000 feet, the pair jumped from the plane having a few controlled spins during their descent.

Ashley said: “The descent was stunning and as it was a clear day, I was able to look over the counties of Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire.”

Ashley has managed to raise more than £900 for GDCS so far.

To donate, visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/gdcs-skydive

To find out more about GDCS, search for the GDCS Information page on Facebook or via Twitter @GDCS2013