Gareth Thomas' Silver Skydivers for Sport Relief Sport Relief

Rugby player Gareth Alfie Thomas is

a legend of the game. He captained

the Lions and was a record try

scorer for Wales and the first

player to get 100 caps for his

country. He was also the first

openly gay International sports

star. Fearless on the field and off

it, his latest challenge is a

skydive from 12,000 feet for Sport

Relief, which sounds easy, a doddle,

except for one thing. He is

terrified of heights. Gareth has

acute acrophobia. The hard man who

broke 40 bones and lost his front

teeth through rugby is paralysed

through fear of putting on a

parachute was a even a stepladder

scares him.

We will start with a

small ladder, a stepladder.

But he

has a plan for the he will recruit a

team to take the challenge on with

him. It is a team like nine he has

ever played with before. A gang of

grandmothers and grandfathers to

take to the skies alongside him. Can

Captain courageous lead from the

front? Take one for the team and

overcome his acrophobia? I cannot

stop moving. In time for his Sport

Relief challenge to take flight. It

will take some cajoling, some

bottle... And hands on help from the

world was my oldest female skydiver.

Feel the fear and do it anyway. To

get Gareth anywhere near the runway.

So, strap yourself in, adopt the

brace position and prepare for a

bumpy ride as we join Gareth

Thomas's Silver Skydivers for Sport

Relief. Gareth, or Alfie as he is

known to many, might be an

internationally renowned sportsman

but what he is a homeboy who loves

his mum and dad.

I come to see my

parents as often as possible. They

have been unbelievably supportive of

me throughout my whole life. For me,

it is really important that they

enjoy their old age.

You missed a

bit.

Get out of here. These are my

achievements in here. Everything I

did in here was on an environment

that I was quite comfortable with.

That was with my two feet on the

floor.

Exactly. Nothing in here for

flying yet.

I have managed to go and

be successful in my life without

having to take my feet off the

ground.

With me, my fear is that I

cannot take that step.

I lose

control. Do think it is brave for

people to overcome their fears? Yes.

You're not willing to overcome

yours?

No, I don't want to.

I don't

want to. That is the difference

between me and to you.

I want to.

The difference is actually 25 years.

No, no comic no. You are saying you

are 25 years older than me. It

doesn't make a difference.

In my

life I have left, I don't want to do

anything.

No. There are people who

want to keep challenging themselves.

That is great. I take my hat off to

them.

I am.

Fine.

Stop going on

about it. I want to do a Sport

Relief challenge to inspire my

parents and people exactly the same

as them to realise every day they

should face a challenge and that age

is just a number.

Man Thomas might

not be convinced that her boy is

pushing on with his challenge.

I am

determined to find old age

pensioners who will inspire a

generation to actually not be afraid

of being old and to look at elderly

people with respect, coupled with

huge amounts of imagination.

Big

words and a bold idea. Is it really

achievable? Gareth needs a mental,

someone who can supercharge his

Silver skydivers skydive but help

him to overcome his fear of heights.

Do not go gentle into that, good

night. Rage, rage against the dying

of the night.

Meet Dilys Price. 85

years young and the visually the

world's oldest female solo skydiver.

-- and efficiently. What is more she

is Welsh and a rugby fan was she has

agreed to become Gareth's skydive

Guru.

Let's make a cup of tea.

A

woman after my own heart. It becomes

apparent why she wants to get

involved.

I think what you're doing

is fantastic and to thwart I think

is my passion now, to try to change

lives for people. We start, we live

and we will die but we have got that

span of life. I don't want the last

part to Beamish above. Sometimes it

happens partly because of society. I

am old and I will tell you you have

to fight society. You are doing the

opposite. You are saying, come on,

get outside your comfort zone and do

a skydive. If they do a skydive

there would be more receptive to

change and more open. The amount of

people who say, this is better than

sex. I love that. That is literal.

It is going to be wonderful.

At what

age did you do your first skydive?

54. How many have you done?

1139. I

am in the Guinness book of records

when I was 80.

You are the first

person I have told this, I'm so

scared of heights he would not

believe it. If you are standing next

to me I would be OK.

The thing is, I

was terrified. The first time, I

thought I was dying. I have had a

couple of scary times. Now she tells

me. It is safer than driving a car.

You will love it. The more scared

you are the more you will love it

when you have done it. At some point

you will think, what am I doing this

for quest to you face the fear of

death, you come down and you are

invincible. -- doing this? What you

are doing is revolutionary for older

people.

people.

Delicious one of the most

incredible people I have met.

incredible people I have met. --

Dilys is one.

Dilys is one.

Inspired by Dilys,

Gareth puts out a video on social

media.

I am looking for women and

men over the age of 60 and under 120

to do a tandem skydive with me for

Sport Relief.

So, get in touch. Any

takers?

Oh, yes. The tandem skydive

has been my bucket list as long as I

could remember.

It is something I

always wanted to be never got around

to doing.

How old are you, grampa?

Ex-TA. I have was wanted to do a

skydive but never had the courage to

go ahead and do it.

I want to do

something new, adventurous.

Are you

too old to skydive?

No. I want to

show everyone that age is just a

number.

I am aged 87.

I am 77 years

old. My name is Colin. I will be 71

on January 20 six.

I and 77. I am

Tony Parkes, 83.

I am 74 years old.

I have never contemplated doing

anything like this before. I want to

give it a try.

With his Silver

skydive team coming together, Gareth

turns his attention to the reason

why he is doing this challenge. The

skydive is to raise money for Sport

Relief and he wants to look at one

of the community projects for the

over 50s it helps to fund.

I am on

my way to the rainbow Centre in

Wrexham to seek myself the benefits

and positive impact this place has

on people's lives. I might be able

to recruit a few more Silver

Skydivers while I am there. Peter,

the driver, how are you doing?

Gareth's 's task is to join

69-year-old Pete who drives the

minibus.

We take this out every day.

You go over the feel-good factor

because we tried to look after, care

for and give a good day out. It is

self rewarding. I remember seeing a

sign, loneliness kills, and it does.

The rainbow Centre serves an area

carrying more than 150 square miles.

-- covering. For its clients living

alone and with mobility issues, then

lifts to the centre are a lifeline.

Do you think that we have been

helping to look after other people

and that helps you to look after

yourself?

It does. It is not rocket

science. If we care for ourselves

look after ourselves will be fitter

and better people for a lot longer.

As Gareth discovers, the rainbow

Centre offers all sorts of

activities to keep its clients

physically and mentally stimulated.

And, what activity does the former

rugby hard man zone in on? Hallow,

ladies. Knitting. Maybe it is an

opportunity to stitch up some more

skydivers.

Can you imagine being on

the aeroplane and opening up the

doors and saying, can wield jump out

now? I am not trying to put you off.

-- can we all jumped out now?

You

only live once.

Why is this table

not doing skydiving? We are too old.

My you letting your age dictate what

you can and cannot do?

As you get

older you see more fear in life.

Also you lose confidence in life.

Really?

It is. It is having that

confidence to go and do it.

Social

isolation has a big impact on

confidence and it is here that the

Rainbow Centre support counts.

A lot

of people coming here are people who

cannot get out of a house. When they

come into here we want to give them

a chance to socialise. Some of the

people we work with might have

dementia. It is hard to have those

conversations you or I would have.

When we bring children in, everyone

is equal and we do singing, dancing

and crafts. It's about people not

feeling isolated and excluded.

I

would enjoy it here. The best job

ever.

ever.

Going to meet the people and

getting to know them, I realised

that this project with this

sentiment these people's lives would

be so lonely. This gives them a

purpose, a reason to get up in the

morning and gives them something to

look forward to. The money you

donate to Sport Relief helps

projects like this keep running. So,

please, please donate generously.

Meanwhile, Gareth has one last piece

of business to attend to. He has got

word that the manageress of the

cafe, Sheila, is ready to join his

silver skydivers.

What made you want

to take part?

I reached a point in

my life that I was 60, and nothing

really fazes me. It is like, get out

there and do it, life is too short.

We've lost so many of our friends in

the last couple of years who have

died way too soon, and they have not

enjoyed their lives. So it's like,

get out there and do it.

That is the

flip of what society says age is.

My

Grans always seemed old, they lost

their husbands quite young, at 60

they would get their pension, and

then it was like, slippers and sit

by the fire. But it has all changed,

I hope it has, it has for me. It's

like 60s, I could do these things.

Piece of cake! With his first

volunteer in the bag, Gareth spots

Sheila's husband enjoying his lunch.

Would you be up for it, then? Not

even a hesitation!

I hate heights,

but I will do it.

And Gareth wanders

into the garden.

It is something I

have always wanted to do.

Really?

He's in! And tears when he bagged

earlier, Peter.

earlier, Peter. Now the Gareth has

got his team in place, it's time he

started facing his fear of heights.

And he's received a call to arms

from skydive guru Dilys offering an

intervention. She has a life mantra.

Feel the fear and do it anyway. Is

this something Gareth can embrace?

I

want so much to clean the back

window, and can't get anyone to do

it.

You want me to go up the ladder?

We will start with a small, a step

ladder, and it will prepare you for

skydiving. Right! I like what you

have done there.

have done there. You didn't need to

Winnall like that. Go straight, go

flat. I have got to show you how to

do this. How do you feel now? I

don't like it when I can't see the

floor, my

floor, my legs do go a little bit.

But you are doing well, you are

keeping your balance well and you

are doing the window beautifully. I

will think about you, and your ears

will burn. Thank you so much, Alfie,

it's wonderful. Now I have got one

more job. This is as safe as

anything. You'll be all right.

Try and be logical about it. Just

use your head and no that it is

safe. You've got a good ladder,

nothing can go wrong. (BLEEP)

I

don't think I can go up any more.

Leave it there, you have achieved a

lot. But just remember what you did.

When I look at it from a ground

level, that is pathetic. Anyone who

can't go to the top of that and

clean that window is not tough at

all. So I think it's a bit of a

realisation that maybe I do need to

confront it.

But before he can do

anything else about his acrophobia,

he needs to get his silver skydivers

together. The jump is four weeks

away, they all have to do a

pre-assessment at Swansea airport to

make sure everybody is fit enough to

take a 12,000 foot plunge. The

silver skydivers have gathered from

all four corners of Wales. The

youngest, Jane, is 60, the eldest,

Eric, is 87. And there are reasons

for wanting to do the jump are wide

and varied, aside from raising funds

for Sport Relief.

Are you not scared

by it?

I have never been up in a

plane.

See you don't know if you are

scared of heights?

I have been on a

ladder.

And the sort who can say,

you carry on, it will be fine, I

will sit here and read a book. This

is the first time I have ever said,

I could do that.

What made you want

to do it?

I have Parkinson's, and it

is a downward slope, you are never

going to get better. The thing to do

is exercise, set yourself

challenging targets, I have

Parkinson's, but Parkinson's is not

going to have me.

What an amazing

thing to be doing.

Thankfully, Ken's

illness has not progressed enough to

prevent in doing the job, but like

all of the silver skydivers, he has

had to get a doctor's certificate to

even get this far. And there are

still potential pitfalls.

still potential pitfalls. Do they

have the core strength to keep their

legs are near on landing, and are

they the right weight and body mass?

Sadly, not everyone clears this

hurdle.

I was lighter than that last

year.

Sheila, the cafe manager at

the rainbow Centre, has a

disappointing news.

I am too heavy,

and I won't get the weight off in

time because of other commitments.

It's not the end of the world, I

won't go home distraught.

Said the

bat on passes to our husband, Dean,

who is having doubts when it comes

time to sign.

It has got to be his

decision. Just man up!

It is about

conquering your fear.

It is a

massive fear.

You are scared as I

am?

Yes!

Fear is good.

In fairness,

the room is awash with nerves.

I am

terrified. If Gareth is scared,

every body could be scared, surely!

But Gareth has brought his secret

weapon along to calm the fears. His

fearless skydive guru, Dilys.

, have

everyone's attention? Thank you so

much for putting yourself forward to

jump out of an aeroplane. I'm not

going to lie, I'm afraid of doing

this. Who wouldn't be afraid? But

there is a woman who when I first

met her made me feel like actually

it will be a great experience, so I

am hugely honoured that doing it

with us will be Dilys! So, introduce

yourself.

yourself.

You will never regret it,

and it is OK to be scared, but don't

forget, scared misses excitement.

You only just have to and turn it to

excitement. I started when I was 54,

and nobody could be more scared than

I was. Why did it, and it blew my

life open, so I tell anybody who is

in a bit of a rut with the pressures

of life, do a skydive, and it will

transform you for ever.

Delist has settled the team, nerves

are under control and confidence is

returning. Time for the gang to see

the plane they will be jumping out

of in 28 days.

Where is first class?

We do get your drinks?

And time

enough Gareth to gracefully adopt

the perfect parachute position.

the perfect parachute position.

When

we are about to exit the aircraft,

we will get you ready, so what we

ask you to do is to put your hands

on his knees, pushed down.

On top of

his legs? Someone is pleased to see

me! I'm scared doing it like this!

Legs back.

And go.

Well, that's it, we are done! Thank

you! I don't think I need to confess

my fears, because I couldn't really

hold them in.

You were great. That

is by far the scariest. When you are

in the situation you are doing it,

that rehearsal we were there and

staying there, and the crowd is a

few feet below, much harder than the

real thing, and I would have been

scared of had been there as well.

She is brilliant.

I can see the look

in your eye.

As always, Dilys put my

mind at ease, because she has this

way as the others do, putting things

into perspective. She made me feel

OK about it, but the biggest thing

is I feel like I am part of a really

good team. We haven't done anything

together, we haven't achieved

anything together yet, but we have a

really good bond that we are about

to do something really, really

great.

So, four weeks until liftoff.

Four weeks the Gareth to come to

terms with his phobia of heights.

And four weeks in which to get to

know his silver skydivers little bit

better. Starting with Ken. For Ken,

intense physical exercise is central

to managing his Parkinson's. He's

invited Gareth to attend a work-out

from people with Parkinson's at an

independent physio programme he

attends a Newport.

My welcoming

party! How are you doing?

Travelling

slowly.

We go through to the gym, is

it?

I do this twice a week. Torture

twice a week. It has all got to be

high-intensity, high impact, these

to 80% effort, that is what it is

all about. It helps build new

pathways through the brain, because

at the moment my brain is slowly

dying away, and all I want to do is

prolong the time it takes to die

away.

Ken on the other participants

do intense work-out twice a week.

It's one way of managing their

condition, but it isn't a cure.

So

can you explain to me exactly what

Parkinson's is.

It is a neurological

condition where the part of the

brain that controls movement, the

neurons die away. You don't know

you've got Parkinson's until about

70% of the neurons have died away

anyway, so I only left with 30%. It

starts with a tremor, shaking hands.

You get muscular rigidity and

slowness of movement. It can lead to

things like depression and dementia.

There currently is no cure.

Are you

on...

Medication, but the best way

to stimulate your brain is through

exercise.

Right.

Before giving

Gareth a taste of the exercise

regime, Ken and his friends have a

special welcome laid on, their very

own version of a hacker.

Are you

ready? Aka, the Paka. One, two,

three, four, we're here at the door,

five, six, seven, eight, we are here

and we feel great. Float like a

butterfly, sting like a bee.

butterfly, sting like a bee.

Oh,

that! I have faced some hakas in my

time, but that was class.

Little

tasks, they are good as well.

And

acrobatics!

acrobatics! Badminton, fencing,

football.

I am 007.

Which was your

favourite James Bond?

Sean Connery.

And your favourite film?

And your favourite film?

Goldfinger.

And your favourite drink?

Vodka

martini, shaken not stirred.

He has

an understanding of the disease he

has, and understanding of his

limitations, but he is not going to

let it hold him down.

With

Parkinson's, it is achieving that

movement that is the problem,

because that is why we are slow,

jerky.

Say you need to go fast? And

he is focusing on the things he can

do rather than the things he can't

do, which makes him an inspiring,

amazing human being. And to see how

hard he works just be able to get up

in the and get out of bed. You know,

people go training to do ironman

triathlons, and Ken has to come to

train to be able to walk potentially

to the toilet or to be able to pick

something up. Come on, come on! When

I moan about being afraid of

heights, when I see people like Ken,

it gives me inspiration to challenge

those fears and confront them, to

take them head-on and to get through

the other side, because unless you

confront your fears, then I suppose

you will never really know who you

are or what you are capable of.

Inspired by Ken's example, Gareth

decides it's high time he faced his

fears head-on, and so he has come to

the Peak District. He has signed

himself up a course called

overcoming your of heights. But

somewhere between the Severn Bridge

and Derby, Captain courageous

appears to have lost his bottle.

Not only am I afraid of heights I

don't want to overcome my fear of

heights. That means I have to face

it and that is scary in itself.

This

is Will. He is in charge of

entertainment.

The way this course

works we will incrementally take you

out of your comfort zone. We'll

start small and then as you get used

to it we will take you on to the

next challenge.

OK. Gareth is going

abseiling. A gentle 3-step approach,

amounting to block is no more than

an oversized molehill, not that

Gareth sees it that way.

I am

processing information. In other

words, I am packing my pants.

If all

else fails, Gareth can always call

on his inner Rainbow Centre.

on his inner Rainbow Centre.

Dilys

is amazing. Today, if you have a

wobble, were new to imagine that

Dilys is there beside you, imagine

what she would be saying to you.

She

would say, feel the fear and do it

anyway, Alfie. Do it anyway.

In

Dilys, Gareth. In Dilys.

All the way

up. Pull yourself up. That is just

demonstrating how the whole rig

works.

Come on, bed grills. Next

challenge. Oh, hallow, that is a bit

steep.

Stand up without touching

anything. Breeze. --

anything. Breeze. -- breathe. You

are doing really well. You are on a

public toilet and the door lock is

broken and both your legs are

stopping the door from opening. You

are all right bit. She is below you,

saying, come on, Alfie. Alfie, well

done.

Every part of my body was

tensed. I thought I was going to cry

at 1.I was so scared. It is nothing.

I actually feel quite pathetic. It

is such a... I don't know. Such a

vulnerable feeling.

Having almost

made the dog's dinner of step two,

how will Gareth manage his final

challenge, the 100 foot drop that is

the cliff face of doom?

When you are

ready. All I wanted to do is come

round this way a little bit. Feet

coming to the edge. Keep going. A

bit more. That is good. You are

doing really well.

doing really well.

Breathe. I cannot

stop moving. I can lock you off.

That is fine. Good lads, Alfie. You

are really there. Only a metre of

the floor. Look down. Stand up. That

was really good.

I have not overcome

my fear of heights but I have

overcome my anticipation of being

petrified before I face my fear of

heights.

It is not by moment you are

having a fear of heights then you

are fine. It is all part of a

journey and you up on that journey.

Gareth one, the sky, zero.

A week

later, Gareth is heading to auroral

village in the Brecon Beacons. He is

going to see the oldest member of

the skydiving team. Three weeks ago,

back at the pre-assessment,

87-year-old Eric was unable to pass

the physical and was informed he

would not be able to do the skydive.

But, in this team, no one gets left

behind.

What was your first job?

I

was in the Fire Service mainly.

After National Service. Did you do

National Service?

No.

I didn't. 18

years ago Eric and his wife moved to

Wales from Yorkshire to be near his

daughter and grandchildren. Eric was

widowed two years ago.

Christmas

2015 she passed away.

It seems like

last week. Really? I bet you miss

her every day. Yeah. How long would

you have been married then?

63

years.

A lifetime.

What was her

name? Eileen Margret. Beautiful

girl. We got married and never

regretted it. We were lucky. It was

lovely.

A lifetime together. Does it

make you feel lonely at times?

Very

lonely. Particularly in the winter

because you cannot go in the garden

and you do not see your neighbours

at all, you see. It is very lonely.

Eric's family visit as regularly as

possible but living alone days can

be long and solitary. For Eric like

many who lose a life partner,

isolation can be a daily burden.

It

is interesting to know why you

wanted to do a skydive. Is it

because you are lonely anyone to

show people that you can still do

things?

It is an experience. It is

something adventurous. I know things

are sort of shutting down gradually

but I don't want to go too quickly.

No. What we want to do today is

mainly something that is as close to

the experience of skydiving...

Are

you going to blow me up?

In fact,

blowing upwards is kind of what

Gareth has in mind. He wants to take

Eric for an indoor -- indoor

skydiving experience.

You see that?

Yeah. I need to fix my teeth so I do

not lose them. Apart from that, it

is OK.

Two hours later and the

dynamic duo are ready to fly.

Are

the teeth stuck in all right

question what they are in.

Try and

push your hips down towards the

neck. When you relax it would be

easy. You do not want to go in there

and start to fight the wind. OK?

Did you enjoy that? Was it good?

Excellent. Eric is here for fun. But

Alfie is here as part of his

training. Without jumping out of a

plane, this is the closest thing you

find to freefalling. And it will be

a good guide to how much his

confidence has improved since

abseiling.

Cheers, man. Thank you. I never

thought I would enjoy that. Eric, in

87 years you have been on this

planet, did you ever think you would

be doing that?

No but never thought

that at all. I thought I might be

doing it there but not... Skydiving

is a thing that you should not miss

if you have got the opportunity to

do it.

With Eric unable to do the skydive,

there is one other team member

Gareth is concerned might not make

it, Chris. At the pre-assessment he

was given a set of exercises to

strengthen his legs. Gareth has been

to his hometown of Brecon to check

on his progress and to find out what

is driving him to get fit enough to

join the challenge.

Who is this?

That is my dad. Chris was born 64

years ago in Zimbabwe, or Rhodesia,

as it was then.

I have five sisters

and seven Brothers.

The family. One

of 13 children, Chris was always

very bright but was discriminated

against because of the colour of his

skin.

I love education. Growing up

in Rhodesia, being black, you are

not given a chance because it was

taken from you. You were a failure

before you started. Do you feel that

is a burning thing inside you?

I

knew that. I knew I could do more.

Chris made his way to Britain in the

1970s where he was finally able to

realise his academic ambitions.

I

was taken to Shropshire.

Having

earned a degree in psychology, Chris

spent his working life in the NHS

specialising in clinical trauma and

rising to become head of royal

Gloucester infirmary.

Opportunities

are what you create.

Nice. Nice. I

will use that line.

That is a

brilliant line. You create your own

opportunities in your own happiness.

You create your own self-esteem and

you know what you are capable of

doing. For me, nothing phases me.

Nothing is to be feared. It is only

to be understood.

And then, moving

on, I suppose, doing a skydive,

after all the challenges he faced,

is it a big deal?

No. No, it is not.

Any challenges, any obstructions,

any blockages, make us stronger

people, determined people.

Free.

Makes you free. I think I love you.

Honestly, I am honoured to have sat

here and spoken to you. From that,

shall we move onto making sure that

you can do the skydive? The last

time we were here, physically we

were worried about you being able to

lift your leg.

Gareth has arranged a

Pilates class for Chris. There are

focused way to work on his muscles.

-- a focused way.

Hold it on the in

breath.

I think Chris has blown my

mind he is such an amazing person.

Tried to bring one leg down and keep

the other up.

He is not content with

just doing it he wants to master it.

Look at him! He is advanced already.

Two weeks ago he could not lift his

leg off the floor and now he is like

Olga Corbett.

Olga Corbett.

I have always wanted a

six-pack.

The parachute jump is just three

days away and the Silver Skydivers

are out raising funds for Sport

Relief. In a final attempt to lay

waste to his acrophobia, Captain

Alfie has agreed to one last stand.

Feel the fear and do it anyway. With

the help of Cardiff Central Station

51, he will attempt to climb a

fireman's ladder, almost three times

the height of the cliff he abseil in

Derbyshire.

Right. I am not OK but I

am going to do it. I know I don't

have to do it but I am going to do

it.

As part of his height awareness

training, Alfie has had anxiety

counselling. How well has it worked?

He is about to find out.

Alfie, get up there! If you don't,

we are not doing the skydive, we are

on strike! , and, Alfie! Go on,

Alfie! I can't believe this, well

done, my boy. Go, go, go!

Alfie,

Alfie, Alfie!

How much further?

You're doing brilliant, Alfie, keep

it going.

it going.

(BLEEP)

one step at a

time, keep concentrating.

One step

at a time, you are almost there now.

How is that? Are you enjoying that?

Love it!

You're going to have to

take a step over.

How do I get over

there?

It's wobbling! Take your

time.

CHEERING

Give us a wave, Alfie!

I need to try

and relax. I can't think about

relaxing.

relaxing.

Remember those techniques

you learned in Derby. Have a little

breather, because we are going to

take you up higher now. This goes up

a lot higher. We're going to go and

have a look and see how you feel,

OK?

Oh, my God!

OK?

Oh, my God!

We are about four

fifths of the way up now.

That is

high, isn't it? Rather him than me.

Oh, my God, oh, my God.

Do you want

to go on to there?

Is it wobbly out

there?

It is exactly the same. Take

your time.

Oh...

And of course, what goes up

must climb back down. In delicious!

Have a think about this.

Have a think about this. I'm only

joking, there is no way we would let

you do this.

Oh!

There is only a few

of us do this, there is no chance

you would be doing that.

Right, OK,

then. We can go down now.

I think he

has really done something amazing.

If he can do that, we can do

anything.

anything.

Dilys, that was so scary.

When you said turn fear into

excitement, I nearly turned it into

something else!

Mission accomplished, leaving one

last challenge. The skydive itself.

And after what Gareth's just

achieve, it will be like falling off

a log. Albeit a 12,000 feet tall

one.

Jump day. 16 senior citizens are

hoping to become Silver skydivers.

They are feeling fearless,

adventurous, excited.

Brilliant. I

can't wait.

Nervous.

I was all right

until I reach the airport. Now I am

feeling, oh, my God.

Nervous?

Very.

We have two parachutes, the main

one, the reserve one. The main one,

we plan on using. I have done 3000

skydive is, and only once it hasn't

worked. What is the worst that can

happen?

We die.

No!

I have never

been in a plane, so I don't know

what I will feel like, the runway,

going up, I have never experienced

it.

And how is Captain Courageous?

This was all started by me, so I

should be the one on this day of all

days to be the main motivator, but

at the back of my mind is this huge

niggling fear that I really don't

want to do it, but I want to

persuade everyone else, because I

really want them to have this bucket

list moment where they say, I did

it, and I enjoyed it, and thank you

Alfie forgiving me the chance. So I

am trying to be the positive one and

keep everybody motivated, but it's

extremely difficult when you know

deep down you are frightened.

The

Silver skydivers are expecting Alfie

to deliver the team talk of his

life. But he needs a pep talk of his

own from his skydive Guru Dilys.

Turn it upside down. The adrenaline,

which is scared and is, turn it the

other way and it is excitement. You

are bursting with excitement. It is

that twist.

I know. The one thing

that has got me out of bed this

money to come here is the fact that

you said once you are out on flying,

it will be one of the most wonderful

experiences ever. And that is the

one thing that got me here. As much

as I am afraid of doing this, there

is probably nowhere else in the

world I would rather be than here.

Not because we are skydiving, but

because I just feel like I am with a

group of people who are doing

something really special, and the

whole underline of this is to

understand what senior citizens are

capable of doing. And if anybody has

ever shown that message, it has been

in the last couple of weeks and when

I have been around to see some of

you individually, and more

importantly what collectively we are

all going to do today, it is just

such a great message that makes you

and this room full of heroes and

legends. So thank you from me, enjoy

it, enjoy it, Glenn! Because if

there is one person I have met on

this whole journey who has taught me

that you feel the fear and do it

anyway, it is Dilys, so I put all my

faith in what she has said, and so

far everything she has said has come

true, so I'm sure in a couple of

hours when we have finished, we will

all be sitting here thinking, why

were we so afraid of the first

place?

You can do it and you will

love it!

Let's get out there!

It is like a Pringles tube with

wings.

It is the moment of truth

Gareth Thomas and his Silver

skydivers. They will be jumping in

small groups across five flights,

with Gareth and Dilys flying last.

Flight number one is Tony, 83.

Gaynor, 64, and billing, 62 and

petrified.

Smile, Glenn!

As they say, it just got real. God.

Everyone will be exiting the plane

at 12,000 feet above the stunning

Swansea skyline. Starting with

Gaynor.

Then Tony. Then Glyn.

Oh, yes! Oh, good God! I can't

believe I have done that.

How was that?

It was great!

It was

brilliant!

Never again! It was

awesome.

awesome.

And suddenly, it's raining

Silver skydivers. Val, 77, Jane, 61,

Margaret, 72.

And then Colin, the man who at 71

has never been in a plane, let alone

jumped out of it.

Nothing about.

Serious?

Honest to

God, that was wonderful.

God, that was wonderful.

And Ken, a

man whose fortitude and zest for

life in spite of Parkinson's has

inspired Gareth so much.

Thumbs up for the camera!

And

joining Ken's flight are Malcolm,

69, Paul, 68, piloting his own

maiden flight. And Evan, 74, pleased

as punch to be up there.

as punch to be up there.

Thank you.

That was great.

That was great.

Mate, how was it?

Fantastic. Absolutely out of this

world.

Absolutely out of this world!

Spencer, 65, has hitched a ride with

Allen, 60. And Chris is having a

quick check to see of his Pilates

lessons are paying off.

Chris, how was that?

Awesome!

Leaving one last planeload, and a

doubting Thomas called Gareth.

OK,

Alfie, we are nearly there. This is

the darkest moment before the dawn.

You are going to do it, and it's

going to be wonderful.

All I'm

thinking about now, I'm thinking not

about me but about everyone else who

has done it and why I have to do it,

and that's it. That's it. If I

enjoyed, I enjoyed, if I don't, I

don't, but one way or the other...

This is me facing probably one of

the biggest fears I have ever had in

my life, and if I overcome it, then

I will be a very proud man.

Pete,

the Rainbow Centre minibus driver is

first out. Next comes Dilys on John

to number 1140.

And last but by no

means least comes Captain

Courageous. Keeping his word and

hopefully his dignity, is doing what

he always swore to do, jump out with

his team is Silver skydivers from

12,000 feet. And down on the ground

or the two people he wanted to

inspire most to embrace adventure in

their old age.

their old age. His mum and his dad.

Oh! What I do with my legs?

Bend

your knees.

Yes!

your knees.

Yes!

Are you doing it

again?

Oh, my God.

Are you OK?

Oh...

Congratulations. You are the

bravest, most wonderful man.

Wonderful. You have done it! That is

amazing, Alfie. I do so admire you.

I genuinely did not want to do that.

That was the scariest thing I have

ever done in my entire life. And I

reckon maybe tomorrow or the day

after or the day after... But for

the rest of my life, I can always

look back and so had a great

experience with a great group of

people, a once-in-a-lifetime

opportunity to do it, so as much as

I absolutely hated every minute of

it, I wouldn't change it for the

world. Everybody, I would just like

to raise a toast the Gareth Thomas

of the Silver skydivers, on a life

affirming life changing moment.

Cheers!

When I first met Dilys, she said to

me, we have to make every day of our

life count. I am here today with a

group of people that have shown me

she was right. They made me do

something I couldn't imagine doing,

and they only did it because of the

help of the strength that they all

gave me, but the jump was all about

raising money to help others who

don't have that strength that

support. Money raised through Sport

Relief helps fund projects to

support people whether they are five

or 105. But it's down to your

generosity to make this happen, so

please get on it and donate.

To

donate:

Sport Relief!