Alnwick woman takes giant leap from 15,000 feet in support of Salvation Army's anti-slavery campaign

Lizz Ashton, who works at the Salvation Army charity shop in the town, was among the first to take to the skies after lockdown restrictions were eased.

She said: “During the freefall you could feel all the air rush past you at 120mph, it was just fabulous, but the noise was immense, and it felt very cold, but, it was exhilarating.

"When the chute opened it felt like I’d been in an emergency stop and it all went very quiet.”

Lizz was motivated to take part upon hearing about the church and charity’s vital work supporting victims of modern slavery.

She said: “I was so taken by the messages of the ‘We Are Not For Sale’ tattoo campaign for Anti-Slavery Day that I am having the Salvation Army anti-slavery logo tattooed on my wrist.”

Lizz had seen and heard the ways that The Salvation Army provided specialist support to the victims of human trafficking and modern-day slavery.

She said: “I sympathise with the victims of those trafficked and enslaved. They aren’t really victims but survivors of this terrible crime.

"The care and recovery provided by The Salvation Army for these survivors is vital and in high demand and it’s worth it.

"So, I thought, it’s a worthy cause and so did the people that sponsored me.

"I can’t thank people enough for supporting me, I had some people that donated anonymously, so don’t know who they are, but would like to thank them too”.

Lizz, who did the skydive on June 19, has raised £828.

She is still looking for more donations through her Justgiving page and is already considering her next fund-raising event to support survivors of modern slavery.

Donate at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lizz-ashton

Due to the coronavirus restrictions The Salvation Army has re-imagined fundraising ideas for people who want to support the church and charity.

As well as skydiving re-starting there are plenty of virtual and creative ideas to get involved. They include initiatives including response runs and cycles, virtual dinner parties, sleepouts, book club, The Salvation Army ‘shear-off’ and quiz.

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