A HUMAN emblem, made up of 52 skydivers in an intricate red cross, plummeted 18,000 feet to the ground at 120mph for charity.

And a local woman is one of the Brit Chicks squad, who broke the world record for the largest free-fall cross in a high-profile fundraising jump for the British Red Cross.

Multiple record-breaker and team captain Caroline Allen, of Cavendish Road, Highams Park, said that despite difficult weather and a consequent lack of training time, the squad jumped as soon as the clouds parted and the rain stopped.

"It was a very difficult formation to build - there is lots of clear air in the four corners and a big mass of bodies in the centre which changes the air-flow dynamics," she said.

The skydivers jumped from three planes and were in position within 45 seconds, holding the cross for ten seconds before spreading out to open their parachutes.

Ms Allen's next challenge will be competing in the Skydiving World Cup.

She has been jumping for seven years, and took it up after her husband died.

Along with the other Brit Chicks, she leads a normal life as a sales technology executive.

The jump was part of The British Red Cross Appeal week from May 6 to 12.