Eileen Wallis and Lydia Murphy will make their brave leap in April
Eileen Wallis, left, mission priest at Beverley Minster, and her daughter, Lydia Murphy, are doing a 10,000ft charity skydive over Bridlington (Image: supplied image)
Congregation members at Beverley Minster have told a member of the ministry team, “we’ll pay to see you jump out of a plane”. It is all good-natured stuff and very welcome as far as Eileen Wallis, mission priest at Beverley, is concerned.
“I’ve never done anything like it before,” said Eileen, who joined the Minster team two years ago from curacy parishes across east Hull. She will join her daughter, Lydia Murphy, in leaping 10,000ft from a plane at Grindale, just north of Bridlington on Saturday, April 18, weather permitting.
Eileen is raising money for a charity close to her heart, Open Doors (Hull), which helps asylum seekers and refugees. Lydia is skydiving for Domestic Violence & Abuse Partnership (DVAP).
Eileen said: “There is a little group from Wawne – I was vicar there – that Lydia keeps in touch with and they decided they were going to do a skydive. There are about seven or eight of them and all doing it for different charities.
“I was going along to watch. One of the group had to pull out and they persuaded me to step in.”
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Eileen said: “I’ve raised £1,000 already and I’m so pleased with the support I’ve had for it and I’m really looking forward to it. Members of the congregation have said ‘we’ll pay to see you jump out of a plane’.
“Most people say I am mad to do it; one or two have said how they’d done one before. I feel like it’s a good thing to do – I did think it was going to be from 2,000ft but then I found out it is 10,000ft – we’ll have a party afterwards to celebrate.
“I don’t want to be the first one to jump out, I want to be in the middle. I want to see someone do it first!”
On her JustGiving appeal page, Eileen said: “I can’t believe I’m going to do this, but I will be jumping from a plane to raise money for a very worthy local charity, Open Doors (Hull), who work to bring strength and dignity to asylum seekers and refugees working through the asylum process. Open Doors (Hull) is one of Beverley Minster’s mission partners, and so I am helping to raise funds by an act of either bravery or darned foolishness. So please encourage me by giving.”
Her daughter, Lydia, who works for the NHS, said the challenge is “completely out of my comfort zone”. Scared of heights, Lydia is determined to make the jump.
She said: “I work in the health service, and my mum is a vicar at Beverley Minster, so supporting and caring for people is a big part of both of our lives. My mum was a huge support to me during a difficult time, so it feels really special that we’re able to do this together and turn that into something positive.
“We’re doing the skydive to raise money for really important causes — my mum is supporting Open Doors, and I’m supporting DVAP. It’s completely out of our comfort zones, but it felt like a powerful way to raise awareness and give something back.
“I went through a period in my life where I lost my confidence and didn’t feel like myself, but with the right support, I was able to rebuild and move forward. That’s why raising awareness of services like DVAP is so important to me.”
Lydia, who has also set up a JustGiving page, said she hoped to be an inspiration to others. “I want to show others that even when things feel difficult, they can change — and you can get to a place where you feel safe and happy again. My motto is ‘face the fear and do it anyway,’ which is exactly what this skydive represents for me.”
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