Jungle Jim jumps ... to help fighting malaria

celebrities sam fox, jimmy white and stuart manning reunite with a skydive to help make malaria no more
By matt2745

LONDON, 1st March 2010: I’m A Celebrity…Get Me out Of Here! contestants Sam Fox, Jimmy White and Stuart Manning are preparing to skydive to raise funds for bed nets to save lives in Africa for Malaria No More UK.


The recent series of ‘I’m A Celeb’ saw all 13 contestants unite for the first time and support one charity – Malaria No More UK. A number of the celebrities arrived in the jungle via a tandem skydive this has inspired Sam Fox to champion a UK dive on 8th April in the build up to World Malaria Day on 25th April to raise funds and awareness to help make malaria no more.

Sam said: “I’ve always wanted to skydive and didn’t get to jump during the show so this is going to be an incredible experience! Malaria is a massive killer in Africa, especially for women and children and it breaks my heart to think about such a huge loss. I’ve seen people affected by the disease and it’s horrific, what’s worse is that it’s totally preventable and treatable. I hope the British public will get behind us and if they’re going to sponsor someone, please sponsor me!”

Stuart Manning is training to do a solo dive on the day and will be flying back from Los Angeles to take part. Speaking about his preparation for the event he said: “I’m seriously excited about learning to dive solo! It’s going to be fantastic to see Sam and Jimmy again and share another life experience while making a real difference at the same time. What strikes me about this project is that a little goes such a long way; £5 is enough to buy, deliver and hang a life saving net for a family in Africa. I hope all those who voted for me in the jungle will continue their support and sponsor my dive”.

Jimmy White is also jumping for the first time, along with his girlfriend Kelly. Jimmy comments: “I was gutted not to jump in the show so this is definitely going to make up for it. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous but hope the money I raise will make it all worthwhile. I hope the British public will join me and help get malaria snookered!”

Joining the celebrities will be a team from Malaria No More UK led by Executive Director Sarah Kline. Sarah said: “A major focus of our work is engaging the UK public to be a key part of making malaria no more. Many people don’t realise that malaria is a disease which affects half of the world’s population yet we have the means to prevent it. Thanks to the support from programmes such as I’m A Celeb and the terrific efforts from Sam, Jimmy and Stuart we can all help make malaria no more”.

British mother Jo Yirrell is a Special Ambassador for Malaria More No More UK. Jo lost her 20 year old son Harry to malaria which he contracted while volunteering in Ghana in 2006. Harry’s 17 year old brother Buster will be fronting Team Yirrell, in memory of Harry. Buster said: “I am really looking forward to the skydive and a chance to support Malaria No More UK. I actually know what it is like to lose someone because of Malaria, it’s not good! Since Harry died I understand a lot more about this horrible disease and know that it is preventable and curable. It is great to be involved in a serious campaign like this, but at the same time doing something fun with friends to get a message across. Harry would love it!”

Sponsorship money raised by all the divers will be used to fund malaria control and prevention programs in Ghana, where 100% population is at risk of malaria.

Sonny wrote:...but it doesn't count if you're strapped to someone's back!