Published at 13:03, Thursday, 02 September 2010

A DARING Barrow woman has jumped out of a plane for charity.

Rox-Anne Hetherington did a 14,000ft skydive to raise more than £1,000 for the Alzheimer’s Society.

The 28-year-old care assistant, from Barrow, enjoyed the adrenalin rush so much she plans to do it again.

She said: “It was just absolutely brilliant, I’ve never known anything like the thrill of falling at 120mph.

“In order for people to sponsor you, you need to do something exciting or perhaps a little bit dangerous, a skydive was the perfect choice and people were willing to sponsor me for that.

“I did this because I feel Alzheimer’s is a very worthy cause. I currently work in the care industry supporting people with Alzheimer’s and other mental health issues and have seen first hand the devastating effects this disease can have on not only the person suffering, but their family and friends too.”

As well as the skydive, Ms Hetherington took part in various other activities, including a pub crawl and a tombola, to help achieve her target of raising over £1,000.

She eventually bagged £1,058 for the charity.

She plans to do more fundraising in the future, but is now focusing on university.

She is set to start a course in midwifery at the University of Cumbria this month.

The charity has paid tribute to Ms Hetherington for her efforts.

Lesley Thompson, dementia support worker at the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “We are extremely grateful to Rox-Anne and all the time and energy she put into this charity skydive and other fundraising events for us.

“As a charity, we rely on the generosity of individuals like Rox-Anne to help us care for people today and find a cure for tomorrow.”

To contribute to Ms Henderson’s fund, contact her on 07763 812950 or visit www.justgiving.com/Rox-Anne-Hetherington.

Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk