Glasgow students set to skydive for charity

Most people would never consider jumping out a plane to raise money for charity.

Perhaps this is the reason why this feat, in which three University of Glasgow students are taking part in, has been dubbed the “Superhero Skydive”.

As part of Glasgow University Charity Fashion Show, Raphaella Gordon-Saker, Jocelyn Gilmour and Nicole Baxter are scheduled to jump from 10,000 feet this Saturday and it’s all to raise money for charity SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health) – GUCFS’ chosen partner charity for this academic year.

The Tab spoke to Raphaella ahead of her skydive:

Raffy has already raised over £600 for SAMH

Hi! What made you want to do this skydive?

“I’ve been keen to do something similar to a skydive for a while, despite not being a huge fan of heights, so I jumped – pardon the pun! – at the opportunity to do it. Being able to fundraise for SAMH was also a really exciting thing for me because supporting those with mental health issues is something that means a lot to me. I feel it’s so massively overlooked and there’s still so much stigma surrounding it.”

How do you feel about the jump?

“I’m actually really really nervous so I’ve been trying not to think about it much. I was watching Total Divas the other day and Eva-Marie was about to do one and I had to change the channel… but considering it’s so soon I can’t really avoid thinking about it. I know once the preliminary shock is over and done with I’ll completely love it and will probably want to do it again, but I just have no idea how it’s going to feel or be like and I think that’s what I’m most nervous about.”

Do you think the the jump has helped to raise awareness for SAMH?

“I really hope so, particularly with my friends who have had to listen to me talk and fret non-stop over the past few weeks. Lots of them weren’t aware of how many people are actually affected by mental health issues, especially young people.”

Why do you think this a good charity to support?

“Mental health is still quite taboo and one of GUCFS’ main aims for the year whilst supporting SAMH is to promote a positive discussion surrounding mental health across campus and help get rid of the stigma surrounding it. One in four people experience some kind of mental health issue throughout their life, yet they aren’t treated with the same seriousness as physical issues and that’s something I think is really important we try to combat. You wouldn’t tell someone with asthma or a broken arm to “just get over it”, so I just don’t get why this is something people with mental health issues, like depression or anxiety, are told on a regular basis. I think a lot of the stigma comes from uncertainty and lack of knowledge surrounding mental health issues – looking back to when I was at school there was never really anything put in place to educate us about it all and there should be. I think also as GUCFS is made up entirely of students, I couldn’t think of another charity more perfect for us to partner up with currently. Lots of SAMH’s work surrounds suicide prevention and student suicide rates have escalated to their highest level since at least 2007 which is just such a heartbreaking statistic.”

Raffy, Nicole and another GUCFS member Jemima

There’s still time left to donate to this cause. You can text RAFY55 £1 to 70070, or you can visit Raffy’s JustGiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/RaffysSuperheroSkydive.

Nicole’s page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/nicobaxter.

Jocelyn’s page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Jocelyn-Gilmour.

The Tab wants to wish the participants the best of luck. You can also follow their skydive on the “UofGlasgow” Snapchat.

To find out more about SAMH go to: https://www.samh.org.uk.