The Drop Zone Defence Fund was established in 1996 to support defensive legal action by affiliated clubs (PTOs) when faced with planning action or civil legal action which threatened to limit, or to shut down parachuting activities. Grants from the fund would match pound-for-pound any legal fees incurred by the club, up to a limit of £500 at the time.
The fund hadn’t been accessed for some time and stood at £35,000 when the COVID pandemic hit. In consultation with those who instigated the fund, it was agreed that the fund could be re-purposed to provide emergency grants of up to £5,000, to those PTOs in most urgent financial need, subject to due diligence. In keeping with the original ethos British Skydiving matched the fund to bring it to a total of £70,000. 12 grants of £5,000 were paid out, depleting the fund to only £10,000 which now needs to be replenished.