PEOPLE who have been left paralysed following accidents and the diagnosis of debilitating conditions got the chance to take part in an indoor skydiving session.

Charity Sportability took around 20 people who have been left paralysed following spinal cord injuries, strokes and multiple sclerosis for an indoor skydiving session at Airkix, in Basingstoke Leisure Park.

The charity organises sporting activities such as micro-light flying, archery, gliding and clay pigeon shooting to enable disabled people to take part in activities they thought they wouldn’t be able to do.

The visit to the Airkix centre was the first event of its kind organised by the charity and they will be rolling it out in Manchester and Milton Keynes later this month.

Charlie Bloom, Sportability area organiser for Hampshire and West Sussex, said: “This is the first time we have done this.

“It is also about trying to encourage people to do something out of their comfort zone but still have fun. The other important side of it is the social need for people to get out of their homes and to do anything we can to give disabled people as close to a normal life as can be done.”

Ben Lees, a 43-year-old who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis eight years ago, added: “It was brilliant and I would love to do it again.

“Sportability offers people the opportunity to do things like this. I think you work on the principle that you can’t do it and I was like that. It was a case of you didn’t want to do it because you used to do it when you were able bodied.”