A thrill-seeking grandmother is to take a 13,000 foot leap of faith before freefalling at speeds of up to 120mph to raise money for the charity which supported her husband through his final days.
Daredevil Dot Booley, who lives in Holton, will jump from a plane in the skies above Beccles on May 3 to raise money for Halesworth Community Nursing Care Fund (HCNCF). She signed up to fulfil a lifetime’s ambition while marking the sixth anniversary of her husband’s Peter’s death.
Dot, 67, has already raised more than £1,000 towards her target of £3,000. All of her sponsorship will go towards HCNCF’s ongoing campaign to raise £714,000 to build a new Information and Support Centre (ISC) for people in north east Suffolk and south Norfolk with life-limiting illnesses.
“I have been involved with HCNCF for more than five years since my husband died from prostate cancer,” said Dot, a retired nursery nurse. “The charity provided extra nursing care and equipment so that Peter could end his days in the comfort of his own home supported by our family.
“The care he received was excellent and we couldn’t fault it – HCNCF provided us with everything we needed. Since then, I’ve done all sorts of things to raise money to thank them, including race nights and coffee mornings – but nothing as daring as a skydive!
“I’ve always wanted to jump out of an aeroplane so thought this was too good an opportunity to miss, even though my family all think I’m crackers!”
Dot’s three children and six grandchildren, who are aged between two and 17, will be joining her at Ellough Airfield on the day, and are planning a celebration picnic together once she has safely landed.
“I’m really excited and am really looking forward to every second of it!” added Dot. “Hopefully it will be fantastic day and I’ll raise lots of money for this brilliant local charity at the same time.”
The ISC, earmarked for land next to Cutlers Hill Surgery in Halesworth, will bring a full range of holistic services closer to home, including benefits advice, wig-fitting, complementary therapies, help understanding a diagnosis, counselling and bereavement support.
It will serve around 50,000 people living within a 15 mile radius of Halesworth, who currently have to travel up to 30 miles to a major town or city to access support, and will be open to both patients and their carers.
To sponsor Dot, please visit https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/dotbooley1
For more information about the ISC project, or to make a donation, visit www.halesworthhealth.org/information-and-support-centre
Halesworth Community Nursing Care Fund is a local charity (charity number 1155419) which was set up 25 years ago to support people with life-limiting illnesses who wish to die in the comfort and security of their own homes.
It works alongside the NHS and social services to provide extra equipment and 24 hour care in the last days of life along with emotional, physical and practical support at the time when people need it the most.
For more information, please visit www.halesworthhealth.org/nursing-care-fund, ‘like’ us on Facebook at “information and support centre fundraising campaign” or follow us on Twitter @Suffolk_ISC
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