Watch: I went skydiving at Bear Grylls Adventure in Birmingham to see if it could cure the winter blues

With plenty of bad weather ahead and Christmas far too far away for my liking I knew I had to take action. So in a desperate attempt to beat the winter blues I thought I’d give something new a go here at Bear Grylls Adventure at the NEC in Birmingham.

Lee Phillips, General Manager at Bear Grylls Adventure says: “People come here from all over to visit us because we have some of the best indoor and outdoor activities you can do, and some that are really unique to us.”

Activities include high ropes, shark dive, axe throwing, archery, climbing, shooting, snorkelling, escape rooms and an assault course. Not one to be burdened by gravity, I decided to try out the iFly wind tunnel.

For people like me who are a bit shy when it comes to heights, it offers an opportunity to experience the thrill of skydiving without any of the bravery.

James Barnes, iFly instructor at Bear Grylls Adventure, says: “The iFly in a sense, it’s like a simulation of a free fall experience. So obviously if you’re doing a real skydive in permanent free fall we simulate that for two one minute flights at a time.”

After catching my last breath I decided to shamelessly mark skydiving off of my bucket list as I’m absolutely convinced I’ve got as much of that experience as I could ever possibly need. It’s certainly blown off the cobwebs of a hazy start to what will hopefully be an amazing 2023.

The new year is a time where it’s easy to get stuck in a rut for a lot of us and a time to look out for one another more than ever. Here in Birmingham there are opportunities around every corner to get out there and try something new as a welcome distraction to help beat those winter blues.