FIRE commander Richard Dykes was on cloud nine after jumping 13,000ft from an aeroplane to raise £500 for charity.

Richard - who is responsible for Chatteris fire station as well as being Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Community Risk Manager for Huntingdonshire and Fenland - took the leap of faith to raise funds for The Fire Fighters Charity.

Grandfather-of-five Richard, 52, of Yaxley, completed the freefall to celebrate nearly 30 years of active fire service duty and to mark the 70th anniversary of the charity.

Richard said: “The day of the jump was clear and bright and I had no sense of nerves, only anticipation as I sat on the floor of the aircraft looking

out, with my legs dangling in 120mph winds and looking down 13,000 feet.

“My tandem jump partner shouted ‘after three - one, two’ - the next thing I vividly recall was cart wheeling into the air and the wind noise and facial wind blast as we began free falling at 125 mph. The jump was really fantastic, not like anything I had ever done before.

“This was a huge achievement for me, and I am really proud to have had the opportunity and health to do something like this whilst raising funds for the Firefighters Charity. Thank you to everyone who has donated.”

Richard has already exceeded his £500 target. Anyone wishing to sponsor or donate can log on to http://www.justgiving.com/Richard-Dykes.