A HARLOW Physical Training instructor was part of a team that raised close to £2,000 for charity.

Caroline Underhill-Collins and friends, Alex Sargent and Charlotte Millington, took to the skies for Grove Cottage.

IN total, 11 brave souls raised close to £6,500.

Grove Cottage provides social and educational activities for people of all ages with learning disability.

Caroline never thought she would have quite so much pain in her eardrums as she hurtled out of a plane, as most commercial airliners tend to fly much higher, at around 35,000ft. But as she fell towards the ground, while strapped to an instructor and filmed by a cameraman, she was in agony.

“I’m gutted. I’m quite a daredevil, so I thought I’d love it – everybody else loved it,” she said. “But when I watched the video, I was like ‘You know what? I jumped out of a plane’.”

Caroline, a personal trainer at Healthy Body Healthy Mind in Harlow, decided to do the skydive after she met Sue Fishpool, Grove Cottage’s community fundraiser, at a networking evening. The two hit it off, and Sue asked Caroline if she would like to have a look around Grove Cottage’s London Road base.

“I couldn’t believe how small it was when I walked in,” she said. “I was just so taken aback at how small the charity is and by how much work they do.”

Caroline decided she would like to do something to raise funds to help Grove Cottage continue the services it provides. So she called upon Alex and Charlotte for help.

“I’ve known Alex since we were 16 or 17,” she said of the human resources director who works in Elsenham. “We’ve been BFFs forever.”

She met Charlotte – a fellow personal trainer with a studio in Manuden – last November, after a mutual friend introduced the two. “You know when you meet someone and you just click?” she said. “We share a passion for our businesses and what we do together.”

Alex and Charlotte had a lot of fun during their jump, and once Caroline had recovered she was able to join in their excitement. “The whole day and the experience was amazing, apart from the pain in my ears, but I can cross it off my bucket list,” she said.

Rosie Wren, fundraising manager at the charity, said: “We’re so proud of all of our skydivers and so thrilled that they decided to jump in aid of Grove Cottage. Thank you to each and every person who took part and thank you to everyone who so kindly sponsored them.”

Grove Cottage will be organising another skydive in September. If you would like to take part, call 01279 651908 or email [email protected]