See the video now at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVI8OhSYoAM&feature=plcp

And read the story below the fold.

Richard Pulford was a good friend who died in August 2011. Many others knew and loved him and appreciated his enjoyment of life, the quality of his work, his clarity of thought and his humour. On 1st August 2012 I made a parachute jump to raise monies for charities which benefitted from his work with them or from which he obtained support and care.

Richard, an extremely able administrator in both the civil service and in the arts sector, had Aids from the early 1990s. Crusaid, which has now merged with THT, benefitted from his abilities in his capacity as Trustee from 2002-2010. I hope THT will now benefit from donations raised by this jump.

All donations made so far have been much appreciated by me and, importantly, THT. But there is still time to give and so, if you wish to, please - click on the link, donate to THT through your sponsorship and so help its work to continue.

Thank you.

The jump was from 12,000 feet -and it went well enough that I was presented with a certificate to confirm that I successfully completed it.

I got down to Headcorn Airfield at 9.35am and went up at 15.35pm. 14 people went up in a Cessna - 3 tandem teams, and 8 solo jumpers. The tandems left the plane after the solo jumpers - 'The Tigers', the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment Parachute Display Team. Unlike them, I was not carrying a red rose, which members of the Princess of Wales's do annually on 1st August to commemorate the participation of the forerunners of the regiment in the Battle of Minden in 1759, nor was I clutching one between my teeth.

I screamed, as instructed, when I left the Cessna. The 30 seconds or so of free-fall - approx 6,500 feet, I believe - passed without the need to think. The sudden deceleration when the main chute opened was an occasion of some discomfort, but both the peace and the view were pleasant and we then drifted down in a controlled fashion to a textbook landing on our backsides. As I say in the video, I can now understand why people jump regularly, but am not certain that I will want to.

Martin Huber

THT’s main aims are to reduce the spread of HIV and promote good sexual health, provide services which improve the health and quality of life of those affected, campaign for greater public understanding of the personal, social and medical impact of HIV and sexual ill health.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with them – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to Terrence Higgins Trust and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate. Terrence Higgins Trust pays a 5% fee on donations (which JustGiving takes from the Gift Aid it reclaims or from your donation, if your donation isn’t eligible for Gift Aid) and in return it receives more money, more efficiently.