What's Henry up to now?

Freefall Tandem Skydive
9th April 2026

I was unusually perplexed when asked back in December 2025, what I would wish to do, or receive, for my 80th Birthday in January 2026. I had to think hard, since at my time in life, the need is to abandon a lot of “stuff” accumulated over the years rather than to receive more, however well-intentioned. Apart from the treasure of special occasions surrounded by family, one of which happened in January and another is to come in April, I couldn’t think of anything. And then I did!

Back in 2002, following her post university travels taking in Indonesia and Australasia, my daughter Jill was living and working in New Zealand and in January of that year, my wife Liz and I spent 3 weeks with her in a Camper van visiting the wonderful and truly spectacular tourist delights of South Island. Visiting Queenstown, she announced that as a belated Christmas present, she was to purchase a Freefall Tandem Skydive for each of us, having experienced it herself in her previous travels. The photo alongside this story is of both of us, in our obligatory tee-shirts, having just descended from 13000ft, freefalling down to approx. 5000ft, then parachuting to land. Probably the most exhilarating experience in each of our lives – and I have decided, before it’s too late, that I want to do it again!

But this time, being very lucky still to be fit and healthy, I want to do something which will make a real difference, by doing it for charity – in fact for two charities close to my heart. For the past 30 years, my wife Liz has progressively been losing kidney function, for many of which she was able to live a normal, sporty and active life, but now the disease has caught up with her at CKD Stage 5, rather unsympathetically referred to as ‘end stage kidney failure’. Since her diagnosis, she has received fantastic and positive care from her Renal professionals, the patients of whom are supported by a number of charitable organisations, one of which is Kidney Care UK. Please have a look at their website ( www.kidneycareuk.org ) and you will see just how much support they give to people like Liz suffering from renal failure, hence my wish to support them, as the first of my two chosen charities for this freefall event.

A friend of ours has recently introduced us to another, very small charity, but one which punches far beyond its weight. Village by Village ( www.villagebyvillage.org.uk ) is a charity founded and run from his home by a gentleman living in South Manchester, supported by volunteers both in this country and in Ghana, where they literally transform the lives of those living outside the cities and in impoverished village communities. These are his words.

“Children die each day in rural Africa from preventable illness and suffer in entrenched poverty.
We envision a world where children born to families living in poverty in African villages do not die needlessly, have access to clean water, basic sanitation, and are offered a chance for a better life through education.
With your help we can reduce the needless suffering and deaths of children living in poverty in remote rural African villages.”

If you look at his web-site, you will be astounded, as I have been, by the breadth of this small charity’s achievements; how they have utterly transformed the villages in which they have been working, training, enabling and empowering the villagers themselves to achieve their dream of much that we here in the UK take utterly for granted. I am truly humbled by the dedication and devotion to their cause shown by these remarkable people.

So, these are the two organisations which will benefit equally from whatever funds this Skydive of mine is able to achieve. Thank you first for reading this story and the background to my self-imposed challenge. Secondly, if you do feel able to offer your support by clicking the button to donate, please accept my heartfelt thanks – you will be helping me to make a difference - before it’s too late.

Henry Ibberson