Issue 304 – Fearless Frome man dives for wishes

A man from Frome took to the skies of Oxfordshire on Saturday, 26th June to complete a breathtaking parachute jump in aid of the UK’s leading wishgranting charity.

Mark Chapman, together with 30 thrill-seeking staff from Brammer UK, bravely bailed out of a plane from the London Parachute School in Lewknor, Oxfordshire to support Make-A-Wish Foundation® UK, the charity that grants magical wishes to children and young people fighting life-threatening illnesses.
Mark resolved to raise money for the charity after his son Dillon, who has Neurofibromatosis, a condition in which nerve tissue grows tumours, had his wish granted to meet motorcycle champion Dani Pedrosa in 2009. Joanne Micklewright, head of wishgranting at Make-A-Wish, and her colleague Jonathan Sandall, head of corporate trusts and fundraising, completed the line-up of jumpers.
Following his jump, Mark said, “After seeing the positive impact that having a wish granted has on my son Dillon I wanted to do all that I could to help give many more children the chance to experience the same amount of joy.”
Fellow diver Joanne Micklewright, head of wishgranting at Make-A-Wish, added, “Jumping out of a plane two miles high is the best feeling and I absolutely recommend trying it! The morning was organised superbly by Brammer which helped make it a great way to spend a Saturday. Well done to everyone who raised so much money in aid of Make-A-Wish.”
Jeremy Salisbury, marketing manager at Brammer UK, says, “We are delighted to continue to support Make-A-Wish. It has been heartening to see so many of our staff, employees and customers rally to this most deserving of causes and I hope that we continue to do our bit to support their inspirational work.”
There are currently 20,000 children and young people in the UK fighting a life-threatening illness and this year alone around 1,000 children will be referred to Make-A-Wish to have their wish granted. To grant all these Make-A-Wish needs to raise at least £5 million in 2010.
For more information about Make-A-Wish Foundation® UK visit www.make-a-wish.org.uk