Portadown man (75) aims for the sky to raise funds for Southern Area Hospice

Tom Forsythe is to complete a tandem skydive from 10,000ft in support of Southern Area Hospice, where he is a registered volunteer.

"Volunteering at the hospice has given me the opportunity to see the amazing work carried out there. I wanted to take on this challenge to help raise funds for such an important service,” said Tom.

"Although I am nervous to jump out of a plane at 10,000ft, it is worthwhile if I raise funds for the hospice and the great work they do.”

A committed member of Hope Community Church in Craigavon, Tom has long been passionate about giving back to the community.

This year, he decided to push himself even further by taking on the daring skydive to raise much-needed funds for the hospice. While volunteering there he has witnessed first hand the incredible work the organisation does in providing compassionate care to those in need.

James McCaffrey of Southern Area Hospice said: “Tom’s bravery in signing up for such a daring challenge is truly inspiring. It’s heartwarming to see his desire to raise vital funds to support the hospice’s work.”

To support Tom in his skydiving challenge, donations can be made through his JustGiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/page/tom-forsythe-skydive, or contributions can be made directly to him.

Southern Area Hospices provide the highest standard of specialist palliative care to individuals with complex life-limiting conditions.

The charity provides wraparound support for patients’ physical, emotional, and social needs, and will also support their families through this process. The hospice ensures that care is centred around the individual’s wishes and needs, supporting them from the point of diagnosis and helping them to live well with their condition.

Sou thern Area Hospice services are available to adults who live primarily within the Southern Trust area.

This year, the Southern Area Hospice Services needs to raise £3.6 million to enable it to continue to provide these vital specialist palliative care services. To achieve this £3.6 million, it needs to raise £300,000 per month, £69,230 per week, £9,863 per day, £410 per hour.

The Portadown, Cungannon and Coalisland ‘big bucket’ collections will take place on March 7.