TRYSTAN Phillips recently celebrated his 20th birthday by taking on the ‘Bungee off the Bridge Challenge’ at the Cleddau Bridge in Pembroke Dock.

Described as ‘the ultimate leap of faith’, jumpers plunge 150-feet, roughly the height of a 16-storey building, with only a large bonded rubber band strapped to their ankles and experience an average speed of 50mph as they go into freefall.

The event, organised by the Pembroke Dock Town Team, is the only chance to bungee off the bridge in Wales and only one of three opportunities do to so in the whole of the UK.

Trystan, from Eglwyswrw and a mechanical engineering student at Swansea University, took on the challenge to raise money for The Wings for Life Spinal Research Foundation and has raised £600 to date.

Every year thousands of people of all ages are paralysed following an injury to their spinal cord. The damage can be permanent and their lives never the same again, yet research into this condition is desperately underfunded.

”The aim of this foundation is particularly relevant to me as five years ago my mum underwent serious spinal surgery as a result of a spinal cord injury,” said Trystan.

“She was one of the lucky ones, but it really hit home to me how immediate and life-changing the effects of a spinal cord injury can be, with most coming from accidents in day to day life.

“The jump was a completely surreal experience and I’d like to say a massive thank you to everyone who has donated, the support has been absolutely incredible.”

Wings for Life's goal is to not only improve the care and rehabilitation available to people in this situation, but to also make diagnosis of paraplegia a thing of the past.

Founded by Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz, all the administrative costs are covered by the Red Bull Company so 100 per cent of all donations received by Wings for Life go directly into spinal cord research.