Brave Tess takes the plunge to raise £700 for cancer charity

Tess Osborne completed the fundraising feat last month to raise funds for the Carrick-based 1 in 3 Cancer Support Group.

She explained: “My husband runs the Wee Knights group at Carrick Cricket Club; they have different events to raise money for local charities and one of these was the 1 in 3 group. I live just across the road from the cricket club, and my daughter works there, so it would be our local. We were discussing different ways of raising money and the club offered to pay for me to do a sponsored sky dive.

“It’s not something I would have chosen to do by myself; I’m terrified of heights!”

The 44-year-old took the plunge on June 18 at the Wild Geese Parachute Centre in Garvagh. “I was nervous beforehand but the freefall was an absolutely amazing experience. I would definitely do it again,” Tess said.

The dive raised over £700 for the charity with several patrons at the cricket club also donating a number of raffle prizes.

Thanking Tess for her fundraising efforts was Karen McMeekan, secretary of the 1 in 3 group. “How on earth she jumped out of that plane I will never know,” Karen said. “The money Tess raised will help us support local people affected by cancer.

“Our group was the brainchild of my sister Janice Ferguson, who was diagnosed with breast cancer six years ago. She found that while she lost an income being off ill, she received no financial support from the main cancer groups as all applications for help are means tested and her husband worked two jobs.

“During this time she had three children at university, so you can imagine the stress she was under. Because of this we set up a support group to help local people affected by cancer. Little did I think I would be diagnosed six years later and met with the same problem.”

The charity, which does not means test, offers practical support with tasks such as housework or gardening as well as access to counselling.

“We will send a bunch of flowers if a friend wishes to nominate someone affected by cancer, or a goody hamper, beauty voucher or pay for transport to treatments,” Karen added.

More information can be found at www.1in3cancersupport.com. Nominations can be made by private message over the group’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/1in3CancerSupport.