PRESS RELEASE 03/10/2017
Chief Operating Officer of national motor retailer Lookers, Nigel McMinn, has taken the ultimate leap of faith and undertaken a charity sky dive alongside elite sports car driver and Lookers ambassador Johnny Mowlem.
The pair took to the skies with the Red Devils Parachute Display Team as part of Lookers’ support of military charity 353.
After a brief pre-flight induction, Nigel and Johnny suited themselves up in their iconic red jump suits before taking off from Langar Airport, Nottingham, for their epic ascent over the Nottinghamshire countryside.
It was the first time that Nigel had completed a sky dive and it was certainly something that he’s not likely to forget in a hurry.
He said: “The whole experience was absolutely breathtaking, from the professionalism of the instructors at the Red Devils and preparing for take-off, right through to the actual jump itself, which was exhilarating.
“Yeah, of course there were nerves during the ascent, but they soon disappeared as soon as we jumped out of the plane and the adrenalin kicked in. It was a clear blue sky day so the view we were presented with once we burst through the cloud was spectacular. It’s an experience that will live long in the memory and the fact that we were able to do it in support of such a worthy cause made it a fantastic day all round.”
The jump was filmed as part of Johnny’s TV show Mowlem’s Racing Travels, which airs on Sky Sports. The most recent series was shown in the summer and saw Johnny drive a restored 1930 Bentley Speed 6 around Silverstone and race a GT3 Ferrari 433 with fellow driver Ivor Dunbar in the International GT Open Series, among other motoring adventures.
Johnny said: “I’m used to getting my adrenalin pumping in the motoring world, but sky diving is something else altogether. It was a fantastic day, which was made extra special by the fact that Nigel was able to join me for the ride. Lookers have done so much for 353, so to be able to help Nigel and everyone at Lookers out in this way was the icing on the cake.”
The skydive helped increase the amount that Lookers has raised for 353 to over £100,000. The charity is named after Private Conrad Lewis, who became the 353rd British soldier to lose his life in Afghanistan and provides support to members of the military community and their families.
Lookers, which operates from 153 franchised dealerships up and down the country, has a long and proud history of supporting high profile charities, as well as smaller community based initiatives.
This year has seen Lookers and its franchised dealerships support charities including Children in Need and The Duke of Edinburgh Awards Scheme, in addition to a number of sports clubs, including most recently Glasgow’s only professional ice hockey club, the Braehead Clan, and small grass roots clubs like Holytown Colts Football Club in Motherwell.