Jon's Scientific Skydive

What a fabulous day!

My name is Jon Bailey, a young man raised in (not so) sunny Hertfordshire, UK, now studying in Bristol. On the 13th of April 2024, I will be jumping out of a plane whilst 10,000ft high in Swansea to sponsor a scientific trip to (sunnier) South Africa to participate in a conservation study. I am afraid of heights so it will be a very interesting day indeed.

So, why the skydive??!

I have signed on to a month-long conservation internship at Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, South Africa. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me, as the experience I gather in the internship will get me into a career changing postgraduate degree in Conservation Science at the university of Kent. As this means so much to me I am willing to put it all on the line, including my own personal safety! As such, I decided that Skydiving was the way to go!

So why is this important for me?

I grew up wanting to explore. Explore places, explore subjects, explore people. For a large part of my life I was always under the appreciation that the planet I ground my two feet on "had already been done", many men and women have seen countless curiosities, creatures, and all manner of flora and fauna, and all that I had in my time was a sickly dying thing to look at. The idea that the world was dying drove me to look up at the sky.

I became infatuated with space exploration, with tales from all corners of the galaxy, from all corners of the universe! I lived my life hoping I would one day be able to explore it with my feet on the ground, and although academically it led me to new heights, and even reaching a bachelors degree in Robotics, I knew I would never really be able to explore the way the trailblazers before me could up in the cold vacuum of space.

I was in a deep depression, battling existential dread and suppressing emotions in an unhealthy way. I got tangled up in drugs and a clouded mind for years, until one day I decided to make a change, and to become the change I wanted too see in the world!

I have been on the recovery for a while now, and I've discovered a newfound passion for exploration and the natural world. Its no deception to say that the world is dying and it is our fault. But it doesn't have to be this way!

The world we know can yet change for the good, and through the prospects of conservation and the science behind it we can make global change. By protecting wildlife, preventing unnecessary habitat destruction and cleaning up the worlds oceans there can be good change for the world. I wish to be a part of this change and have decided to alter my life path toward this goal. I already have small experiences with the Batford Spring Nature Reserve project, as well as designing technologies for conservation such as a hydroponics system to be used by Australian aboriginals and also a carbon capture process using algae for use in cities!

What about the funds, where will your sponsorship go?

The base cost of the trip is £2800. However this does not include flights, vaccinations or food money, added together the total cost is £4000. I have until the end of April to raise the funds for the trip. Should I not raise enough for the trip, all money raised will go to the WWF. I will be uploading images and updates on my Instagram page for everyone to see, and if you have any special requests tied to your donation, please don't hesitate to ask me @jonathanba1ley on Instagram. I will try to get a video of the skydive but that will only be possible if the entire goal is met as it costs extra.

I hope you have a wonderful day, most pleasurable of weeks and an amazing future ahead of you.

Ill see you in the sky,

Jon Bailey :)