A couple celebrated their first wedding anniversary in a novel way – jumping out of a plane for charity.
Chesca Burrows, 27, and husband James, 33, from South Ham, bagged more than £1,247 for St Michael’s Hospice in Basingstoke, with their sky dive.
Chesca was inspired to make the daring leap in memory of her mum, Stacey Oszczyk, who died aged 49 at the hospice a month after her wedding last year.
The intrepid couple carried out their stunt at Hinton airfield near Banbury in Oxfordshire on September 17.
Chesca, who was terrified by the thought of flying and had never flown before, said she was delighted with the tandem jump and the money raised.
“It is so different from anything you can imagine,” she said. “It is such an unreal sensation – you feel so vulnerable up there.
“Watching James tumble out was the worst moment for me. But it all happens so quickly. You fall out like confetti.
“When it was my turn the guy said he would count from five, but jumped on three.”
The jump from 13,000ft saw Chesca free fall for 120m before the parachute deployed and she floated safely to the ground. But for her, the day was all about her mum.
Stacey died from cancer after two weeks at the hospice.
She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005. By November 2009, the disease had spread to her lungs and her health deteriorated throughout last year.
But she was determined to put on a spectacular wedding for her daughter and took a leading role in organising their big day.
Stacey was a keen supporter of St Michael’s Hospice, volunteering at its charity shop in South Ham.
Chesca added: “There was a bit of emotion for me in the plane on the way up and I got thinking what we were doing and why and I started to feel a bit nervous.”
