A fundraising family with a head for heights have raised almost £2,000 for Isabel Hospice.
Safron Huntly, her dad John Morris and brother Ross were among 12 skydivers who took to the skies in support of the charity at its most recent tandem skydive event.
The trio signed up for the challenge in memory of wife and mum Geraldine Morris, who passed away in March 2020. The event on March 6 fell on what would have been Geraldine’s 66th birthday, and was the day before the second anniversary of her death.
The much-loved 64-year-old receptionist was cared for by Isabel Hospice during her fight with small bowel cancer. Geraldine spent about a month in Isabel’s In-Patient Unit while the team of specialist doctors and nurses helped to relieve the pain and other distressing symptoms she was experiencing because of her illness.
Safron said: “Mum needed pain management as we were all unsure of the proper routine of when to take her tablets and how much, and she started to get confused as to whether she had taken them. That’s when the Hospice helped us.
“She stayed at the In-Patient Unit in December 2019 and was there for about four weeks. During that time, they were just excellent. They helped her with her pain and were great when I would come to see her with my one-year-old.
“Everyone was so accommodating. And mum enjoyed her stay there as it wasn’t all talk about being ill. The nurses would have a general chat to her about her life, or her nails, or perfume. They also gave her a glass of sherry, which she was very pleased with!”
Safron, a HR administrator, said she signed up for the skydive after receiving an email from Isabel’s fundraising team. “Due to the date, I just said to my family we have got to do it!” she said. “We had raised money in 2020 for the Hospice by doing a bike ride, so it was really great to be able to raise money again, and this time do something a lot more daring!
“I was so excited – we all were – and I had no real fear about it to be honest, just excitement. The date just made it so much more significant too.
“Mum would have probably said Dad was too old, and actually she was scared of flying so would have said we were all mad! We very nearly didn’t get to do it due to the weather, but it brightened up at the last minute, so Mum was watching for sure.”
Together, Safron, 32, site manager Ross, 33, and plumber John, 67, raised £1,880.
Isabel fundraiser Lindsay Hunter said: “We’d like to thank Safron and her family, as well as all our March skydivers, for taking to the skies in aid of Isabel Hospice. Skydiving is one of our most popular fundraising challenges and we have a number of slots available between now and 30th June for those brave enough to take the plunge. So, if like Safron, you’d like to take the leap of a lifetime, and help us keep on caring for those who rely on Isabel’s specialist support, we would love to hear from you.”
Details of all of Isabel’s fundraising opportunities, can be found here.
