Woman who died in skydive was 'caring and giving'

A woman who died in a skydiving accident in Devon was a "caring, giving person" who "loved adventure".

Belinda Taylor, 48, from Totnes, was one of two people who died in a tandem jump at Dunkeswell Aerodrome, near Honiton, on Friday, police confirmed.

Her partner Scott Armstrong said: "She was a lovely person, she was my best friend. She was an absolute nutcase who just loved adventures."

Skydiving instructor Adam Harrison, 30, from Bournemouth, also died in the incident at the weekend.

A tandem jump is when an instructor is attached by a harness to a participant, with the instructor controlling the jump, the freefall and the parachute deployment.

Mother-of-four Ms Taylor, who worked as a massage therapist and volunteered at a food bank, had been in a relationship with Mr Armstrong for three years.

"If she had £10 in her purse and you needed £10, you got it. She would put her own needs out of the way," said Mr Armstrong.

"Somebody had sent me the nicest message last night.

"They said they were on the plane with her and she was laughing and joking and really excited of going up to the last minute. And I needed to hear that."

Mr Armstrong said his partner had an adventurous spirit and it was "anything for a laugh" and her death had left him "lost".

"She was my only friend. I don't even know where home is now," he said.

"She was what I had down here, now I don't have her here, I'm speechless. We lost our world... I just miss her like crazy."

Ms Taylor's son Elias Baaklini, 20, a business student from Acton, west London, said it was "just a tragedy that she went off to have fun, do something she'd never done before, experience something new and we lost her".

"I think when you go on these types of things, it's not what you're expecting, especially now with the safety measures they have. It's such an unlucky thing to happen," he said.

"We just want to know what happened, the cause of it."

Restaurant owner Bachir Baaklini, 46, who has two children with Ms Taylor, including Elias, said his family wanted "justice".

"We need to find out what caused this so no-one else dies the same way as she died," he said.

"It's a shock. Friday and Saturday we were just constantly in tears, you don't think it's a true story."

Ms Taylor's sister Michelle Gaffney, 41, from London, said: "My big sister was such a kind soul and would do anything for anyone.

"She was such a fun-loving woman, with a heart of gold and a brilliant sense of humour. She was a wonderful mother and raised four beautiful children."

She also sent "condolences, thoughts and prayers to the family of Adam Harrison".

"He and they are also in our hearts," she said.

Ms Taylor's friend Chloe Grantham said she would be "missed so much".

"She was amazing, she cared about everybody," she said.

"She always put others before herself and she was a wonderful mother.

"I'll always take her with me in my heart. I love her to bits."

Devon and Cornwall Police said the skydivers died at the scene and their families had been informed.

It said inquiries were ongoing by police, British Skydiving and East Devon District Council Environmental Health and Safety Office.

British Skydiving said on Saturday it had been "notified of a tragic accident in which two jumpers lost their lives".

"Our deepest condolences go to their families, friends and the entire skydiving community," it said.

The Civil Aviation Authority said it was aware of the incident but could not comment any further due to it being an active investigation.

A spokesperson added: "We will work closely with the relevant authorities to understand what happened and are awaiting the report into the incident."

SkyDiveBuzz Dunkeswell said the deaths were "devastating" and it was fully co-operating with the investigation.

"We are heartbroken to confirm that an incident occurred on Friday, resulting in the tragic loss of two lives," it said in a statement.

"Our deepest condolences go out to the families, friends, and everyone affected by this devastating event."

The Dunkeswell Aerodrome is a former RAF site located in the Blackdown Hills area of Devon, close to the county's border with Somerset.

According to the aerodrome's website, the site was originally built to be an American naval base during World War Two.

It is also claimed to be the highest licensed airfield in the UK at 839ft (256m) above sea level.

Along with skydiving, other activities on offer include Spitfire flight tours, wing-walking and flight training for aircraft.