Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's Angie and Angie skydiving to support CALM

Best mates Angie W and Angie B don’t just share a name, they’ve also shared a lot in 50 years of friendship - there’s been ups, downs and some pretty mad times. They’ve supported one another through it all, no matter what. So after Angie W’s son lost his best friend to suicide two years ago, a skydive for CALM seemed like the best way for them all to remember him.

When Tim took his own life it shook the lives of his family and friends. Two years on, Angie B and Angie W decided to take on something special in his memory. They booked a skydive and got fundraising for CALM. Angie W told us how she’s supported Tim’s mum Mary-Ann and why the pair were keen to support our life-saving services.

Jumping out of a plane and hurtling towards the ground at 125mph might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but for Angie and Angie, a skydive’s been on the thrillseeker’s bucket lists for a while and at the age of 68, they felt the time was right. These two friends have been a solid source of support for one another for over half a century, so not even a skydive could intimidate this daring duo. Angie W says:

“We’ve done our best to support Tim’s parents, that’s why my son, daughter and myself have all raised money for CALM, the charity Tim’s family chose to support in his memory. We knew Tim from a young lad as he was my son’s best friend, so he was always around our house when they were growing up. So alongside Tim’s parents, my children and Angie we formed a team of six for the skydive.

“It was a very emotional day and we all laughed together about waving to Tim as we passed him by on a cloud."

“The impact suicide has on the people left behind is something you can’t even put into words. Helping CALM to stop anybody else from going down that road makes all the nagging to get family and friends to donate so worth it.

“Services where you can talk without judgement are so valuable, not just to support anyone struggling but also to support people left behind. It can help people come to terms with the feelings of intense sadness, shock, frustration and guilt that you can experience when you lose someone to suicide.”

Taking on this challenge wasn’t just about supporting CALM’s life-saving services, it was also about supporting Tim’s family. Losing someone to suicide is like no other loss and it can be hard to know how to support a loved one through it.

“We encouraged Tim’s parents to talk about things and tried to help them move past any feelings of guilt. We tried to explain that there wasn’t anything more they could have done and that Tim’s decision wasn’t selfish, he just no longer wanted to be here.

“I checked in with Tim’s mum regularly over text or WhatsApp but also made it clear she didn’t need to answer. I’d say something like ‘It’s a beautiful day. Still missing Tim. Hope you’re okay today.’ She knew she didn’t need to answer if she didn’t feel up to it. Sometimes our texts would be longer and we’d share things we remembered about Tim. She’d often come back and say, ‘I can’t tell you how much your messages help’.”

Angie and Angie raised over £2,000 for our services - that’s enough to help fund 250 potentially life-saving chats from anyone struggling to see a way forward. Not only have these two mates done something amazing, they’ve also had an epic experience to tick off their bucket list.

Inspired to do something you’ve always wanted to do against living miserably? You’ll find loads of inspo and info on our website.