MORE than £1,000 was raised by our skydiving A level student in memory of a friend.
Daredevil Year 13 student Molly Blake decided to take part in a parachute jump to raise money in memory of Matthew Densfield, a former student and family friend.
Matt, who had a heart defect as a result of genetic condition, DiGeorge Syndrome, sadly died in March, aged 20.
He was studying music at the University of Leeds and had been in Manchester Royal Infirmary after a third heart operation. Whilst there, his family were able to stay in a Ronald McDonald House, which provides self-contained accommodation for the families of patients.
Molly, 17, of Baxenden, decided to raise money for the Ronald McDonald charity and was delighted to top £1,000.
She said: “It was amazing and the best thing I have done in my life. I would do it again in a heartbeat.”
As the lightest jumper she was strapped to the lightest instructor and so was last out of the plane and they jumped from around 15,000ft.
Molly said: “I wasn’t really scared because it was for Matt and so I couldn’t back out; not that I wanted to.
“I was sitting on the edge of the plane waiting for the instructor to push us out and I could see all of Blackpool, the Isle of Man and the Lake District.
“We had 40 seconds of freefalling and I was smiling, but because my teeth are sensitive and the wind was so cold they were hurting.
“Then the parachute opened and we were jolted back up. That is when I realised just how fast we had been going because the cameraman suddenly dropped below us quickly until he too opened his chute.
“As we were the lightest it took us the longest to get down, about seven or eight minutes, and then we landed in a puddle.”
Both Molly’s parents Dawn and Peter, and Matt’s, Dave and Susan, along with many members of both families went along to lend their support.
Molly said: “Afterwards we got to watch the DVD and we all had a picnic.”