Watch the moment this Mid Sussex daredevil does a backflip off of the world’s oldest iron bridge in Shropshire

A daredevil from Cuckfield has performed a hair-raising backflip off of the world’s oldest iron bridge in Shropshire.
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James Williams-Fuller, 32, said he performed the heart-pounding stunt into the River Severn at about 1pm on Sunday (November 28) after extensive safety checks.

“The actual trick is called a gainer,” said James, who described this as a forward movement with a backflip.

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He said he and his friends had earmarked The Iron Bridge, which originally opened in 1781, for the jump a couple of years ago.

James Williams-Fuller from Cuckfield said he performed a backflip off of the world's first iron bridge in Shropshire after extensive safety checks.James Williams-Fuller from Cuckfield said he performed a backflip off of the world's first iron bridge in Shropshire after extensive safety checks.
James Williams-Fuller from Cuckfield said he performed a backflip off of the world's first iron bridge in Shropshire after extensive safety checks.

But they did not know how they could pull off the stunt at the time.

“It was awesome,” said James, who described finally performing the jump as ‘a big achievement’.

“It’s not our highest jump but it’s a very iconic, nice place and we just wanted to do it there,” he said.

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James’s stunt delighted some onlookers but has dismayed others.

James Williams-Fuller from Cuckfield said he performed a backflip off of the world's first iron bridge in Shropshire after extensive safety checks.James Williams-Fuller from Cuckfield said he performed a backflip off of the world's first iron bridge in Shropshire after extensive safety checks.
James Williams-Fuller from Cuckfield said he performed a backflip off of the world's first iron bridge in Shropshire after extensive safety checks.

English Heritage, who are responsible for looking after the bridge said they were alarmed by the video footage.

The organisation expressed concerned about jumpers injuring themselves and potential damage to the bridge itself.

But James said his team welded together a special platform for the stunt, which had been ‘ratchet strapped’ to the railings.

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“We didn’t want to damage the paintwork or anything,” said James, adding that the platform used foam padding, while the railings were wrapped with towels.

He also said he and his friends warmed up the day before on a lower bridge further upstream.

In addition, James said, he and his crew went into the river on Sunday morning to measure its depth and drag a weighted rope across the area to check for hidden poles, branches and rocks.

He said it was vital to make sure they had ‘good water’ to land in and they had helpers on the riverbank standing by.

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James, who has been cliff-jumping for years, urged inexperienced young people not to copy any of his tricks and said it has taken him years of training to reach his current skill level.

He has previously hit out at ‘tombstoners’ for giving his sport a bad name and said that he and his friends are ambassadors for UK Cliff Jumping.

“We’re trying to legitimise a sport and create a bit of a following to it and make sure people do it in the right way,” he said.

James advised anyone who is serious about taking up cliff-jumping as a sport to start out at a gymnastics hall or diving centre.

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People can also join UK Cliff Jumpers at one of their events to begin learning the skills they need from a beginner’s level.

He stressed that serious accidents can happen in any sport and the risk of this is reduced with training.

“You wouldn’t just hop in a car without any lessons,” he said.

“If you’re an entry level person jumping four, five or six feet you’ll get the same buzz as someone maybe jumping higher or doing a bigger trick,” he said.

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James, who works as a tree surgeon with clients in Sussex, Ken, and Monaco, said it helps that he is used to heights.

In the past he has jumped Vivian Quarry in North Wales and Durdle Door in Dorset, as well as High Force Waterfall in County Durham.

“While doing it you don’t really have time to think about anything else,” he said, describing it as almost a ‘slow motion’ sensation.

“All the other thoughts in life disappear during the actual time because concentration levels have all been heightened and you’re just left buzzing after,” he said.

“But that’s done from years of training.”

Visit ukcliffjumping.com or see James’s YouTube channel