Romaine completes parachute jump for charity

ONLY A few years after breaking his leg in a previous attempt, 77-year-old Stamford bowler Alan Romaine successfully completed a parachute jump at the weekend to raise vital funds for Macmillan Cancer Support, writes Bob Warters.For weeks he has been raising more than £1,100 sponsorship for the charity from members and visitors to the Stamford Indoor Bowls Club and residents at Blackstones Court where he lives with his wife Barbara.Weather conditions prevented him for making the jump from an aircraft over the UK Parachuting training centre at Sibson on his recent birthday but the clouds cleared on Sunday morning and he was able to make the leap aided in tandem with a professional parachutist without incident, watched by family members and fellow bowlers.He recalls: "It was very cold when I booked in and did all the pre-jump procedure and signed in for the tandem experience. We climbed very slowly to about 12,000 feet and I began to think 'why am I doing this?' but then realised I was actually enjoying every second of it even when the door opened and other people started to leap out of this perfectly serviceable aeroplane."Out I went, too, falling at over 120mph. Wow! It was cold and so noisy but quite stunningly surreal. After a few seconds the main canopy opened and it was so quiet as we floated to the ground (pictured above) met at the drop zone by friends and family encouraging me to 'keep my feet up,' which I had failed to do in my previous attempt."Wearing the tee shirt which many sponsors had signed and he has worn during his bowls matches in recent weeks, he said: " What a great experience. I am so grateful to all those who contributed to the cause."Among those who attended the jump were Alan's daughter Caroline, his son Julian and bowlers Wally Kettle, Betty Sims, Larry Waldron, Paul and Trish Galloway and Tony and Judy Barwell.