A BARRY woman will be skydiving from 10,000 ft in memory of her brother.

52-year-old Denise Dawe, from Barry, will skydive in memory of her brother Mark who took his life in 2011. She will also be raising money for the charity Mental Health UK

Ms Dawe said: “My brother Mark was always the life and soul of a party. His smile and laughter were infectious... Not a day goes by when I don’t think about him.”

Having previously raised money for charity through Race For Life, Ms Dawe will this time be in skydiving from 10,000ft, in Swansea with the help of Skyline Events.

“I felt that by doing a skydive I would be close to Mark," said Ms Dawe.

“I always liked the high rides as a child but getting older and knowing the dangers they're not as appealing now.

“I think when it comes to the day of the skydive, I will be absolutely terrified.

“My step-son Josh asked how I was preparing myself and my answer to him was ‘by not thinking about it’."

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Although she planned to skydive on July 2 - which would have been Mark’s 50th birthday. But, due to staff issues the skydive has been postponed and will take place in April 2022.

Her JustGiving page is available here.

With five weeks to go until her skydive (at the time of this article’s publication) Ms Dawe has already raised more than £1,200 for Mental Health UK.

“I'm totally overwhelmed at the amount I've raised so far,” said Ms Dawe.

“I never thought I would get that much. I am absolutely thrilled and want to thank each and everyone who have supported me so far.”

Ms Dawe's friend, Jane, added: "I am so proud of Denise for raising money and celebrating Mark’s 50th in a unique and special way.

"I hope by reading Denise’s story it will raise awareness a little bit more."

All the money raised from this skydive will got to Mental Health UK – to find out more about the charity visit www.mentalhealth-uk.org

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