Worksop teen takes on a 14,000 feet drop in charity skydive

Lauren Emmens, of Harley Close, Worksop, has raised more than £1,000 for When You Wish Upon a Star, a charity which helps to grant wishes of children with a life threatening illness.

The chemistry student at St Andrews University did the tandem jump at Langar Airfield and was well supported by her family and friends on the ground.

The 19-year-old said: “I remember when we were going up and I thought we were really high and my instructor was saying there's Newark and there's Worksop.

"But that was only 1,000 feet and he was like ‘we’re actually going 10 times higher than this’, so that was quite crazy.

“When I asked my instructor in the plane about the landing, he said oh we'll just make sure the parachute works before we get onto that.”

After jumping from the plane, Lauren and her instructor were free falling for around a minute before launching the parachute and drifting for another six minutes.

“It's just so magical. It's indescribable really. And you've got the wind hitting you, and you're just falling from the sky,” Lauren said.

Lauren was set to do the skydive on her 18th birthday while studying at Worksop Post 16 centre, but it was cancelled due to weather, and then Covid-19.

She added: “The biggest thank you to all my friends and family because I couldn't have raised so much without all the kindness and generosity.”