Mum and daughter complete "terrifying" skydive for homelessness charity

Saturday 27 July 2024

A local mother and daughter duo built up the courage to jump out of a plane to raise money for a local homelessness charity.

Earlier this week, Sue and Aimee Kowzan descended 7,000ft from the air and landed in St Aubin's Bay for the Sanctuary Trust in a feat Sue described as "beyond terrifying".

By the time the pair took to the skies on 22 July, they had already raised more than £3,000 for St Aubin-based Sanctuary – and there was no pulling out.

"It was surreal," Sue said. "You've gone beyond terror and you know there's only one way out."

"Some people just have rotten luck"

Having been involved with Jersey's Sanctuary Trust for a few years, initially by baking cakes and buying cleaning products, Sue, former Head of Languages at Hautlieu, now buys enough food every week for the residents' Friday night meal and wanted to go that bit further.

Explaining her motivation to continue her support for the charity, she said: "I think people have a false idea of why people end up in places like The Sanctuary, some people have just had rotten luck or have made one too many bad choices, like we all do."

Pictured: Sue and Aimee have raised more than £3,000.

"I don't think people actually realise how close to these situations we all are, everything you've worked for can just slip away from you," Sue reflected.

Having now landed safely back on the ground, Sue reflected on her experience and praised the team at Skydive Jersey for being so professional and empathetic.

"It was a real challenge"

"They were absolutely fantastic, super lovely and professional and great with safety, making sure we knew what to do and when," Sue added.

"It was a real challenge. I think [when you do something for charity] it's got to be something that really puts you out of your comfort zone to make it more worthwhile, and this definitely did!"

Pictured: Aimee flew over from the UK to complete the dive with her mum.

Due to bad weather, Sue and Aimee's skydive was delayed for three-and-a-half hours, but their supporters – including residents and staff from the Sanctuary – remained vigilant and stayed in St Aubin's Bay to celebrate the pair's landing.

"The best moment of all, when I was shaking and relieved to have landed, to have seen their faces was just the best thing".

Having now topped their £3,000 target, Sue said she and Aimee are "absolutely delighted"  and thanked people for their continued generosity.

DONATE...

To add to Sue and Aimee's fundraising total, their JustGiving page is still open for donations.

And you can find out about more opportunities to support Sanctuary via their website HERE.