Daredevil from Winchester wins fight to take parachute jump

James and his assistance dog Nemo, who has made a huge difference in his life.

JAMES Rose, from Winchester, has spent the past two years battling bureaucracy because he has Cerebral Palsy, which some said would stop him from achieving his dream of jumping from a plane.

James is not so easily deterred, and on Saturday July 11 he will take to the sky with his close friend Michelle Lewis, to raise money for Canine Partners and Comic Relief at RAF Weston in Bicester, Oxfordshire.

A project a long time in the making, it was Michelle’s trek in Jordan in 2006 that inspired James to meet his fear of heights head on. However, doctors were concerned that apparent spasms in his legs caused by Cerebral Palsy would put James at serious risk during the jump and refused to sign the permission he needed.

Cerebral Palsy affects James’ dexterity, speech, and mobility. He uses an electric wheelchair to get around and has an assistance dog called Nemo, who helps by opening doors and retrieving items for him.

James’ determination to make a difference, to give back to Canine Partners who supplied Nemo, and help raise funds for those less fortunate through Comic Relief, meant that the jump was going to go ahead. James finally got medical permission in summer last year.

Since then James and Michelle have been frantically gathering sponsors and contacting companies to support the ‘Like A Bat out of Hell’ jump. They intend to raise £4000 and have already secured sponsorship of over £2000. James said: “It is fantastic that this is finally going ahead now. Both Michelle and I have been planning this jump for such a long time and have had to overcome so much to get to this point.

“Canine Partners is a charity very close to my heart. They provided me with Nemo - a gorgeous black Labrador who literally opens doors for me and pulls my socks off among other necessary tasks - on command obviously! Comic Relief meanwhile makes a difference to so many people battling against poverty, something even more necessary in today’s economy.”

The two intrepid jumpers have so far secured support from companies including communications agency The Remarkable Group, HSBC branch Winchester, Smith and Williamson, and Leigh Day and Co Solicitors.

For more information and to sponsor James and Michelle visit www.likeabatoutofhell.co.uk. Other websites are: www.caninepartners.co.uk or www.comicrelief.com.