STUDENTS SKYDIVE TO MARK THE END OF THEIR MOTHER'S TREATMENT FOR CANCER
3/14/2012 8:10 AM EST
For immediate release:
Press contact: Elana McIntyre, Media Relations Manager, Breast Cancer Campaign,
DD 0207 749 4102, email:
Daredevil siblings jump out of a plane, raising £2,500 for Breast Cancer Campaign
Intrepid students Jessica and Joseph Hearnden, from the Northfield area of Birmingham, took part in a 10,000ft skydive last Friday (9 March) – raising £2,406 for breast cancer research.
University of Coventry fashion student Jess, 20, decided to raise money for Breast Cancer Campaign with her 23-year-old brother Joseph, who is studying Product Design at Nottingham Trent University, after their mother, Karen, was diagnosed with breast cancer last August.
Karen completed her chemotherapy treatment two weeks ago and, for Jess and Joseph, jumping out of a plane was a fitting way to celebrate the end of their mother’s treatment. The proud mother joined her children at Langar Airfield in Nottingham to cheer them on with a group of friends and family.
“Joe and I decided together we would love to do something for breast cancer research,” comments Jess “We support charities regularly but we wanted to do more. We are both very determined and motivated, so as soon as we decided last November we immediately started fundraising. We have constantly been advertising it and getting people to donate as much as possible, everyone has been so generous and we are so grateful!”
Daring Jess and Joe had their nerves tested by the 10,000ft drop but breath-taking views helped the fearless students on their way. Jess, who is challenging thrill seekers from across the Midlands to emulate her and raise money for Breast Cancer Campaign, says: “I’ve never done anything as exciting (and terrifying!) as a skydive! The view was overwhelming and the jump was an experience I will never forget. We're so proud of our mum, who is the brave one, and by doing this we’re doing what we can to help everybody who has been touched by breast cancer.”
Breast Cancer Campaign currently funds six projects in the Midlands worth a combined £1,047,264. Kelly Walton, Events Executive, says: “A skydive is an exciting way to fundraise for Breast Cancer Campaign, and I would encourage anybody looking for a thrill to sign up and take part. Skydiving is a once in a lifetime opportunity to have a great day and take in bird’s eye views of the local area, safe in the knowledge that they’ll also be helping us to fund innovative breast cancer research.”
Jess, who set up an online fundraising page with her brother,
http://www.justgiving.com/josephandjessica added: “We're so pleased with our fundraising total, so far, and we're determined to keep going and raise even more.
For more information about Breast Cancer Campaign’s skydive programme, please call 0207 749 4114 or visit
www.breastcancercampaign.org
Press contact: Elana McIntyre, Media Relations Manager, Breast Cancer Campaign,
DD 0207 749 4102, Email:
Notes to editors
• Breast Cancer Campaign aims to beat breast cancer by funding innovative world-class research to understand how breast cancer develops, leading to improved diagnosis, treatment, prevention and cure
• The Breast Cancer Campaign Tissue Bank, the UK’s first ever national breast cancer tissue bank is a unique collaboration with four leading research institutions to create a vital resource of breast cancer tissue for researchers across the UK and Ireland. Visit breastcancertissuebank.org
• The charity currently funds 95 projects worth almost £16.5 million in 31 locations across the UK and Ireland
• Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK and accounts for nearly one in three of all cancers in women
• In the UK, around 48,000 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed each year - that’s 130 a day
• Visit breastcancercampaign.org or follow us at twitter.com/bccampaign