A teenager from Cherry Orchard, Worcester, has taken a leap of faith as she experienced the exhilaration of a skydive in aid of St Richard’s Hospice.
Katherine Thompson, aged 19, took part in an organised skydive on Saturday 27th June at Hinton in the Hedges Airfield, Brackley. She has so far raised nearly £700 to help the hospice care for patients with life-threatening illnesses and support their loved ones.
The self-confessed adrenaline junkie, who works for UTC Aerospace Systems in Malvern, decided to fundraise for the local hospice which cared for her mum Annette Thompson before her death last year.
Ms Thompson felt the adrenalin rush of plunging 10,000 feet out of a plane at 120mph, harnessed to an experienced parachute instructor, before coming to a safe landing in front of friends and family.
Over the last few months, Katherine has taken on a number of other challenges in aid of St Richard’s, taking part in Worcester’s first Rainbow Run and the Worcester Half Marathon.
Katherine said; “I’m definitely an adrenaline junkie but this is by far the most extreme thing I’ve ever done! It’s something I’ve always wanted to do but never looked into. When my mum died I was so grateful for St Richard’s that I knew I wanted to do as much fundraising as possible. My mum was referred to St Richard’s Hospice and for around six months they did anything they could, not only to help her but to help us. She died over a year ago and they’re still offering help in any way we want it. We might never find a cure for cancer, but we can help sufferers and their families receive the comfort and piece of mind that will truly mean the world to them in their final months.
She added; “Fundraising wasn’t as hard as I thought it’d be as everyone was so giving, they just wanted to give something back and I really am thankful. Raising such a great amount of money was more than I could ever have asked for, and the amazing experience I had skydiving just topped it all off!”
To donate to Katherine’s fund, visit justgiving.com/KatherineT/
The next St Richard’s Hospice group skydive will be Saturday 12th September. There are still a few places available. To find out more, visit our Skydive event page.