DAREDEVIL Ella Gray took the plunge to support a cause close to her heart.

The plucky 19-year-old, who lives in Lethe Grove, Blackheath, took on a tandem skydive - dropping nearly 14,000 feet through the air - and raised £800 for Colchester Zoo.

She chose to support the popular Maldon Road attraction because she was upset at how it struggled financially during the Covid pandemic.

"I absolutely loved the skydive," said the former Thomas Lord Audley School and Colchester Institute student, who is starting a degree in mental health nursing at Essex University in September.

Gazette: Freefall - Ella Gray took on a tandem skydive and raised £800 for Colchester Zoo

"Strangely, I didn't feel nervous at all. I was just excited.

"For the first ten seconds I could barely breathe but after that it was just completely exhilarating.

"I was almost disappointed when it was over and it felt strange being back on the ground again."

Ella's skydive took place in Beccles, Suffolk, and she was delighted to support Colchester Zoo.

Gazette: Freefall - Ella Gray took on a tandem skydive and raised £800 for Colchester Zoo

"It's somewhere I've always gone, all my life," she said.

"It's one of my family's favourite places and I hated to see it suffer during the pandemic.

"I couldn't bear the thought of it not being there anymore, because it's such a big part of Colchester life."

Gazette: Freefall - Ella Gray took on a tandem skydive and raised £800 for Colchester Zoo

Gazette: Freefall - Ella Gray took on a tandem skydive and raised £800 for Colchester Zoo

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