THE SECOND annual Pembroke Dock Bungee off the Bridge took place on Saturday (Oct 15). 55 thrill seekers jumped in total, with 33 jumping to raise funds for 18 different charities, and 22 jumping for the experience alone.
Seven alone jumped for the Paul Sartori Foundation, a Pembrokeshire based hospice care charity, including Sandra Dade who completed the first jump of the day on a bike. Sandra and 35 other hardy souls are also cycling from Vietnam to Cambodia in November to raise money for the foundation. John Hart, a fellow Paul Sartori Foundation cyclist, also jumped.
Event sponsor, Ian Gravell of Gravells Kia Narberth, was brave enough to jump to raise funds for the Paul Sartori Foundation, and his wife Wendy will also be completing the cycle challenge in November.
The other main sponsors for the event were Pembrokeshire County Council and the Port of Milford Haven.
Port of Milford Haven employee Rob Nichol, who jumped for their charity of the year Pembrokeshire Cancer Support, said: “The best part is the location and the whole atmosphere. It’s a bridge I use all the time but this is a totally unique experience”.
Fellow jumper, Sonia Ball, jumping for Shalom House Hospice said: “I can’t think of a better place to do a bungee jump in the world”.
Pembroke Dock Bungee off the Bridge is one of only two opportunities to bungee off a bridge over water in the UK, and the only chance to bungee off a bridge in Wales.
There was a great atmosphere throughout the day, with crowds of spectators and supporters gathering around a wide screen television at Hobbs Point, kindly loaned by Vaughans Electrical Haverfordwest.
Some jumps were broadcast live to Facebook, and the videos and photos of the event have put Pembroke Dock and the spectacular Milford Haven Estuary at the centre of a huge social media buzz. The Bungee off the Bridge Facebook page has reached 70,000 people across the world over the last week, with over 40,000 people viewing videos of the jumps.
One of the most poignant moments of the day was when Mark Peet, who jumped dressed as the Pikachu Pokemon in memory of Natasha Bradbury from Haverfordwest, presented a cheque for over £1000 to her family.
Event organiser James Parfitt, a volunteer from Pembroke Dock Regeneration Team, whose jump video has scored over 11,000 views on Facebook already said: “The whole day was fantastic and it was great to see the community coming together to organise the event and support the jumpers. I need to say a massive thank you to everyone involved, from the stewards, to our event sponsors, and the countless businesses, organisations and individuals who provided their time or services free of charge or at a hugely reduced cost.
“We couldn’t do it without you and together we’re creating a huge buzz around this event in Pembroke Dock’.
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