The Archbishop of York's parachute jump for a military charity was cancelled today when his prayers for good weather went unanswered.

Heavy rain, high winds and low cloud meant the jump was halted but the daring Archbishop, Dr John Sentamu, promised to try again next week.

Dr Sentamu said: “It’s just like somebody who has been training for a match and is told 'Sorry mate, the match is off'. But we know we are going to come back. I was ready but we needed to be able to see.”

The Archbishop will attempt the jump again on Friday June 6 at Langar Airfield.

Dr Sentamu, 58, hopes to raise £50,000 for the Afghanistan Trust, a charity that supports the families of paratroopers from 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment, who have been wounded or killed whilst serving in Afghanistan. Dr Sentamu said he was supporting the Parachute Regiment in memory of Lieutenant Colonel ’H’ Jones, who was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross for his bravery at the Battle of Goose Green in the Falklands conflict.

The Archbishop said: “We now know another soldier has died in Afghanistan and it would have been good to have done something today but we will come back. It’s not for me or anybody else but for the soldiers in Afghanistan.” A British serviceman was killed in Afghanistan on Sunday by an explosion as he was returning to base, his family asked for a 24 hour delay before he is named. His death brings the total number of British personnel killed in Afghanistan since 2001 to 97.

Major Nick Vischer, from the Red Devils, said: “It’s straight down to good old British weather. What we need is good clear visibility from a minimum of 10,000ft all the way down. We have not got that and the RAF Met Office have told us that there’s no chance of that today.” He added: “We are very conscious that the archbishop has got a whole lot of sponsors that he needs to deliver to so the number one priority is for ourselves and the archbishop to make this happen at the earliest opportunity.”

Dr Sentamu is known for carrying out stunts to raise awareness of issues such as poverty and the situation in Zimbabwe, but the parachute jump - his first - promises to be the biggest yet.

The Archbishop was a vocal opponent of the invasion of Iraq, but said his decision to do a jump for a military charity was to show respect for British soldiers whose courage and sacrifice were not always properly recognised.

Dr Sentamu said he was sure of an “exhilarating experience” when he eventually leaps out of the Cessna Caravan plane at 12,500ft in tandem with a member of the Red Devils parachute display team.

The Red Devils, formed in 1964, is made up of 25 serving paratroopers from the Parachute Regiment. Each member of the team has seen action in either the Falklands, Northern Ireland, Kosovo or Sierra Leone, while many have served in both Afghanistan and Iraq. The team carries out more than 100 parachute displays each year at public events worldwide.

As he waited in vain for the bad weather to clear this morning, the Archbishop was played a video about the kit and the jump itself. He was also given his own kit demonstration. Dr Sentamu would have been free-falling for 45 seconds if the weather had allowed, a member of the display team said.

Before the flight was called off the Archbishop said: “The important thing is that the public get behind the appeal and take the opportunity to ease the financial burden on these brave people who have already given so much. If everyone sponsors me even just a small amount then it will make a huge difference." He added: “I approach the jump with a sense of hopeful excitement. I’m sure it will be an exhilarating experience.”

Guy Brudenell, a businessman, persuaded the Archbishop over dinner to join him on the charity event. “I said I was doing a parachute jump and he said, ’I’ll do it with you’. I was completely taken aback,” Mr Brudenell said.

“I was chuffed to bits but I thought when he goes home and wakes up the next morning, I won’t hear from him again. But the next morning I had his press secretary on the phone saying let’s get it organised, which was fantastic,” he added.

Mr Brudenell runs a helicopter charter service and has his own helicopter pilot’s licence. Today he flew to Bishopthorpe Palace, the Archbishop’s home just outside York, to pick him up, they flew south to Langar Airfield in Nottinghamshire.