Mother-daughter duo HOPE to raise funds with skydive (From Western Telegraph)

Mother-daughter duo HOPE to raise funds with skydive

2:30pm Friday 19th October 2012 in News

The sky is certainly not the limit for a mother and daughter duo, who will attempt their first ever sky dive for charity tomorrow (Saturday).

Christine and Laura Venables, of Haverfordwest, will leap out of a plane at 13,000 feet to raise money for the Neyland HOPE Therapy centre.

Christine’s husband, and Laura’s dad, Nigel was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis 13 years ago, and his condition has gradually worsened over the years.

This meant that Laura and her twin brother Mark, who were just seven when their dad was diagnosed, had to grow up quicker than most other children.

Laura, aged 19, said: “This is a very personal charity for both of us. Not many people know about this disease, and neither did we until it came into our lives 13 years ago.

“A sky dive is a personal achievement, and because it’s raising money for something so close to us, it makes it even more worthwhile.”

Christine said that her husband regularly uses the HOPE hyperbaric oxygen chamber, which helps distribute oxygen around the blood stream to improve muscle movement.

She said: “Nigel has been supported by the HOPE centre right from the beginning, when he was first diagnosed.

"It is a fantastic charity, and relies solely on fundraising and public support.”

She said: “I just thought, I am coming to mid-life now, and I must do a few more exciting things before I am too old. And doing a sky dive was one of the things on my tick list.

“I am looking forward to it, but I’m also terrified. Now and again I think: why am I doing this? Then I think about the money we are raising, and the cause, and that spurs me on.”

To sponsor the family visit www.virginmoneygiving.co m/lauravenables.