A pair of daredevil Severn Hospice nurses are taking the plunge as fundraisers by jumping out of an aeroplane at 10,000ft to raise vital funds for us.

Ward colleagues Jo Hornsey and Rachel Preece will brave the breath-taking charity challenge at Tilstock Airfield, near Whitchurch, on 23 March.

The daring duo, who work on our Shrewsbury hospice’s Breidden ward, hope to raise hundreds of pounds to help ensure we can be there for future families in need of support across Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and Mid Wales.

As part of the skydive, the nurses will freefall through the air for several thousand feet before an instructor in tandem deploys the parachute and controls their landing.

Ward sister Jo, from Whittington, ran the London Marathon last year and fancied trying something different to support the hospice.

She said: “A skydive is something that I’ve always been interested in doing so to do one while raising money for the hospice is great.

“Last year I ran the marathon and was thinking about what I could to raise some money this year.

“I am nervous but looking forward to it too. It will be scary but I’m glad to be doing it with Rachel, she’s a bit more of a daredevil than me though!

“We’re both hoping to raise as much as possible so we can be there for families who need our help.”

Jo and Rachel have also organised a cake sale to take place on the ward on 7 March to help raise cash ahead of the main event.

Healthcare assistant Rachel, from Shrewsbury, is jumping in memory of her mother Liz Preece, who died in December 2010 after battling cancer.

She says although her mum didn’t receive end-of-life care with the hospice, she wanted to raise cash after seeing first hand ‘how wonderful and passionate the care provided by the staff is’.

“My mum battled cancer for years; the last six months were the hardest for our family,” said Rachel. “We all supported each other through the difficult time.

“She had little involvement with Severn Hospice and that was down to her own choice. Now years have passed and I have had much more involvement with the hospice, I can see how wonderful and passionate the care provided is.

“I’m so proud to be part of the hospice team which is why I wanted to take on the skydive with Jo this month.”

Click here for Rachel’s Just Giving page and for Jo’s page click here. 

The skydive is fully-booked for March but there are places up for grabs to take on the 10,000ft jump on 5 October.

For more information or to find out how to take part go to the event page here.