Daredevil mayor on her way to charity skydive

Crawley's daredevil mayor Chris Cheshire is almost half way to raising a target £5,000 for two charities close to her heart.
By The Newsroom
Published 3rd Mar 2016, 12:41 BST
Updated 3rd Mar 2016, 13:44 BST
Mayor of Crawley Chris Cheshire launches this years Poppy Appeal in County Mall (Pic by Jon Rigby) SUS-151026-114015008Mayor of Crawley Chris Cheshire launches this years Poppy Appeal in County Mall (Pic by Jon Rigby) SUS-151026-114015008
Mayor of Crawley Chris Cheshire launches this years Poppy Appeal in County Mall (Pic by Jon Rigby) SUS-151026-114015008

Brave Chris, 71, is swapping her wheelchair for a parachute by taking part in a skydive on April 26 to raise cash for the Springboard Project, a charity that helps disabled children, and Crawley Community and Voluntary Service.

Chris has been unable to walk for the past 25 years after suffering damage to her spinal cord following major surgery on her right leg. She said: “It brings into sharp focus for me the challenges that children at Springboard face from day one.”

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She has already confessed that she might be ‘a bit apprehensive’ on the morning of the jump. “But I think once I’m through the door it will be a phenomenal adrenaline buzz.

“The biggest challenge is that I can’t do anything with my legs to help with landing. That’s why a lot of clubs won’t take on people like me.”

But she has found an instructor who she will be strapped to as they jump from the aircraft. “My feet will rest on his feet.”

The skydive will be the last of 12 charity events Chris has organised in her mayoral year and she hopes to have raised both money and awareness of the work done by CCVS and Springboard.

To find out more or to sponsor Chris, go to www.justgiving.com/MayorChris-skydive