AN 89-year-old care home resident has fulfilled his lifelong dream after jumping more than 15,000ft out of a plane
Dennis Moulton, who is a resident in Care UK’s Dashwood Manor, in Basingstoke, took to the skies and jumped out of the plane to raise funds for the end-of-life charity Marie Curie.
When Dashwood Manor first opened in September 2021, the team installed a ‘Wishing Tree’, an initiative launched which allows residents to suggest ideas for new hobbies they’d like to try, places they’d like to visit or even activities linked to past careers.
SEE MORE: Care home resident, 89, set to fulfil 'lifelong dream to skydive' next month
Dennis wasted no time thinking about a ‘descent’ wish and quickly put on the wishing tree his lifelong dream, to skydive.
The team set to work planning the exciting wish, and soon regional directors at Care UK, Eileen Coyle-Jones and Angi Knight as well as customer relations manager at Dashwood Manor, Leahanne Wilkinson had decided to support Dennis in the ultimate way – by jumping out the plane right next to him.
Dennis said: “It was splendid. I felt like my hard work paid off. The feeling of free-falling was just amazing, and I was just trying to take it all in. It was better than I ever expected.
“Age is only a number. You can do anything if you are determined.”
They had originally planned the skydive on March 25. The team arrived early and were minutes away from jumping when, despite his best efforts, Dennis struggled to lift his legs up to the height needed for the landing.
He was not defeated, and he visited Dashwood Manor’s in-house physiotherapist twice a week, while doing his own exercises every day, to ensure he was strong enough to fulfill his dream. After being given the ok to go ahead, the new date was set for just over one month later.
When the date came, they arrived at GoSkyDive once again, and soon had all their gear on ready to go.
Dennis has raised £2,493 for Marie Curie, but the total is still increasing and will also be matched by Care UK’s match funding initiative.
Dil Perera, home manager at Dashwood Manor, added: “We were thrilled to have helped Dennis complete his lifelong wish to skydive while also raising vital funds for a very deserving charity.
“All the team and residents have been looking forward to the big day and it was wonderful to see the smile on Dennis’s face as he landed on the ground. I would like to thank the team for helping to organise the wish for Dennis and especially to Leahanne, Eileen and Angi who jumped out of the plane by his side.
“We have raised £2,493 for Marie Curie but the page is still open for donations. We would love to surpass the target Dennis set of £3,000, with support from Care UK’s match funding initiative and other donations we believe we can. We cannot wait to organise the next wish – who knows what it could be, the sky is the limit!”
Michelle Martin, fundraising director at Marie Curie, thanked Dennis and said it was an amazing achievement.
To donate to Dennis’s Just Giving page, visit: justgiving.com/DashwoodManor/
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