A Dagenham woman, 25 , is planning to jump out of a plane to raise money for Saint Francis Hospice, which cared for her mother.

Skydiving 10,000ft at a speed of 125mph is out of most people’s comfort zone, but Tina Clark is taking on the thrilling challenge to raise funds for the hospice in Havering-atte-Bower.

Brenda Clark, who lived in Dagenham, she had been living with a rare form of lung cancer for two years before she was diagnosed in June 2019.

She was admitted to Saint Francis Hospice in August where she spent two weeks on the ward before she died on September 2.

To honour her mum and support the hospice, Tina will be jumping out of a plane on Sunday, March 21 for the first time and says she’s definitely more excited than nervous!

She said: “Mum loved her family and was a huge presence in our lives. My world shattered to pieces at the loss of my mum.

“The hospice was kind, loving, supportive and treated my mum with dignity and respect and it meant so much to us that we were able to stay with her all day and even overnight.

“They supported us through this devastating time and showed great compassion towards us all when our mum sadly passed away.

"This devastating loss was extremely hard for our family and each day I pray for a cancer cure to stop others experiencing the same devastation and loss that we had to.”

To mark a year and a half since Brenda's death, Tina wanted to give something back to the hospice.

"I am an adrenalin junkie so when I saw the skydive on the hospice website, I knew I was going to do it.

“This exhilarating skydive is my way of showing gratitude to the hospice and honouring my mum’s memory and legacy as she continued to support local charities in our community. I know my mum would have been extremely proud of me.”

Saint Francis Hospice has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic and the charity relies on donations to continue its hard work.

Tina has already raised £625 – smashing her target of £350.

Have you always dreamed of doing a skydive? If you’d like to join Tina on the adventure of a lifetime, please visit sfh.org.uk/skydive, or email events@sfh.org.uk or call the events team on 01708 753319 for more information.