THE sky’s the limit for a local charity worker from Northwich as he took one giant leap for a great cause.
Mike Fairley, from Barnton spent the past weekend taking on a sky dive from 10,000 feet, to help raise funds for Ronald McDonald House Charities UK.
The charity offers free accommodation across 12 houses to families with seriously ill children in partnered NHS hospitals
Mike, 47, works as Regional Operations Manager at the charity and decided to take the stomach churning leap as part of Ronald McDonald House Charities UK’s ‘Skydive Weekend’ event.
He said: "As House Manager at Ronald McDonald House Manchester, I saw what families with seriously ill children in hospital go through on a daily basis.
"The fear, stress and anxiety parents feel is unimaginable for someone who has never been in the same position.
"If they can get through that, I can jump out of a plane.
"It will all be worth it if it means we can continue supporting families."
Taking off from a parachute centre in Lancaster, the tandem skydive gave him 'the adrenaline rush of a lifetime'.
The challenge resulted in Mike raising over £400 for the Charity.
Ronald McDonald House Manchester is a 65-bedroom facility, which provides free accommodation and support for families with children in Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and St Mary’s Neonatal Unit.
The House offers comfortable bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, shared kitchens and communal living spaces, just moments from the hospital wards.
The Charity’s Skydive Weekend event has been a huge success, filling all available spaces across their seven jump sites.
Vanessa Simmons, National Community Fundraising Manager at Ronald McDonald House Charities UK, said:
"We’re thrilled with the success of our first ever skydive event at Ronald McDonald House Charities UK.
"We’ve seen both supporters and staff fearlessly take to the skies to raise vital funds for the charity, and we’re pleased to announce the event has raised over £127,000.
"We’re looking forward to doing it again next year."
Donations are still coming in via a JustGiving page at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Michael-Fairley4.
For anyone interested in taking part in next year’s event, please contact info@rmhc.org.uk
To find out more about Ronald McDonald House Charities UK visit www.rmhc.org.uk
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