Issue 508 – Pair gear up for charity skydive

Two thrill-seeking fundraisers from Melksham are raising hundreds of pounds for Dorothy House Hospice through a sponsored skydive.

Mark Cleverley and Debz Thompson will both be undertaking tandem skydives at Redlands Airfield, near Swindon, on 4th September.
They are both raising money for the Dorothy House Hospice, in Winsley, in memory of Mark's late wife, Mandy. Mandy tragically died after suffering from a brain tumour in 2007, leaving Mark and their two children Laura and Daniel, who are now both in their teens. After being diagnosed with the tumour, Mandy received care from Dorothy House Hospice.
The skydive, which will see the pair jump from a plane 10,000 feet in the air, was Debz' idea. She was good friends with Mandy and used to cut her hair.
"I'll be turning 40 on 13th September and I wanted to do something different," Debz said. "I had the idea last year so I've had it planned for quite a long time now."
Mark, who is a regular volunteer at the Dorothy House Hospice, has to date raised over £2,000 for Dorothy House. The money has all been donated to a 'tulip fund' in Mandy’s memory which now totals around £4,500.
Debz' grandfather Alan Burns, known to friends as 'Bernie', was also cared for by nurses from the Winsley- based hospice when he was diagnosed with a brain tumour in July last year. Sadly, he died last month.
Both Mark and Debz have been collecting sponsorship money for the skydives and have each raised hundreds of pounds already.
Debz said, "People have been very generous so far. I went around the Parson's Nose pub recently and managed to raise a lot from the punters there."
Collectively, they are expecting to raise around £3,000 which will all be donated to Dorothy House Hospice.
"Since I have been volunteering at the hospice, it has opened my eyes to how important it is for helping so many people who are suffering," Mark said.
Mark has his own webpage where people can sponsor him for the skydive. Log on to www.justgiving.com/mcleverley
JustGiving sends your donation straight to Dorothy House Hospice Care and automatically reclaims Gift Aid on all eligible donations, so what you give is worth even more. I hope you'll join me in supporting Dorothy House Hospice Care.
If you would like to sponsor Debz for the skydive, you can call her on 07769157689.