EIGHTY-four year old Stogumber pensioner Tom Vesey successfully made a free-fall parachute jump 10,000 feet out of a light aircraft from a Salisbury airfield last Friday to raise at least £4,000 for his village community shop.

Tom, one of 60 voluntary helpers at Stogumber community shop, said after the jump: “It was bloody frightening plummeting straight out of the plane before the parachute opened but worth all the effort for such a good cause.

“All the team making it happen were brilliant especially the experienced parachutist Hank from Holland who has done thousands of jumps like this."

Since Tom, a former army captain, did his training at Sandhurst military academy, he had always wanted to experience a free-fall jump after making six static line descents from hot air balloons at Sandhurst.

Describing his epic high jump, Tom said: “I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who sponsored me.

“Eight of us, each attached to an instructor went up in the plane. It took about ten minutes to reach the right height.

“The moment of dispatch was a bit alarming as the earth looked an awful long way down. We pushed off and fell freefall for about 30 seconds until we reached 5000ft at a speed of 120mph.

“The parachute opened with a bit of a jerk and the feeling of relief was wonderful! So also was the sudden silence. We then had a perfect five minutes and I felt very happy to be alive.

“The view was fantastic. Eventually we came in to land at what seemed an excessive speed. I didn’t need to have worried as the actual put down was perfect, and then it was all over.

“Did I enjoy it? Yes, very much. It was a great experience and I am so glad that I did it. You may ask why I at my age of 84 wanted to do such a thing? Well, as Robert Browning the poet said “Man’s reach should exceed his grasp or what’s a heaven for.”

Tom currently works as a volunteer in the popular village community shop, taken over in April after the former owners retired.

When the shop needed to relocate, villagers raised nearly £190,000 to buy the freehold of a neighbouring property in High Street.

Further money has been raised for building work, including a £36,000 grant from the Rural England Prosperity Fund, via Somerset Council.

More funds are still needed to complete the project and the money Tom has raised will go towards these.

“I paid all my own expenses so all the money I raised from the jump will go to the shop,” Tom said.

Stogumber shop opens seven days a week 8am to 1pm and 5pm to 7pm on weekdays, 8am to 12 noon on Saturdays and 8am to 11 am on Sundays.

The post office attached to the shop opens from 9pm to 12.30pm on weekdays but closes at 12 noon on Wednesdays.

The jump from Old Sarum Airfield near Salisbury was arranged through GoSkydive who also provided the photographs.