London priest takes a dive to raise funds for his parish + Video

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A Westminster parish priest went beyond the call of duty recently to raise funds for good causes. Fr Joe Ryan from St John Vianney in West Green, north London originally planned to do a skydive in June - but the weather was too windy and the jump had to be postponed. Two weeks later, when he returned to the airfield in Cambridge, Fr Joe was shocked to learn that he was a few pounds too heavy. Not deterred - for the next five weeks Fr Joe went on a diet - and lost 16 pounds.

"It was a wonderful wake-up call. The weight had just crept up on me since the cycle ride to Paris last year" he said. (Fr Joe took part in the cycle ride to Paris for the world climate talks last summer). "I didn't do anything special but I did a bit more exercise and cut out the snacks, puddings and biscuits and tried not to eat after 6."

On 9 July Fr Joe went back to the airfield and did the skydive. "It was a little bit frightening but a fascinating experience" he said. "They were very security conscious and very reassuring, explaining everything carefully. It was so interesting. Once the parachute opened we just floated and we could see the beautiful landscapes below. The chute was quite easy to control - almost like a steering wheel. You could land on a postage stamp - and we did land very gently - like a swan."

Fr Joe has raised more than £4,000 already. The funds will go to clearing the parish debt, paying for a new boiler and sound system for the church and Westminster Justice and Peace.

Fr Joe has been a priest for nearly 45 years and is chairman of the Westminster Justice and Peace Commission.

If you would like to make a donation online - please go to: JustGiving: https://campaign.justgiving.com/charity/rcdiocese-westminster/frjoeskydive

Or if you prefer to send a cheque, make it out to St John Vianney Parish and send it to Westminster Justice and Peace Commission, 4 Vincent Rd, London N15 3QH.

Watch the video here: http://myskydive.ukskydiving.com/view.php?dm=1&id=MCRXYMEQS

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