CREDITON mum Gill Davies has raised the phenomenal sum of £1,122 by taking to the skies and jumping out of a plane at 15,000 feet to help support the British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) life-saving research.

Gill (34), who works for Helmores estate agency in Crediton, was inspired to do the jump for the love of her daughter Caitlin, who was sadly born with a serious, and at times life-threatening heart condition.

She said: “We didn’t know there was any problem with her heart, until a couple of hours after she was born. She became blue and lifeless and was rushed to the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU). After a few hours, we were told that she had a life-threatening heart condition…”

Caitlin was diagnosed with Pulmonary Atresia with a Ventricular Septal Defect, and without emergency surgery, which she endured at just 10 days-old, would have lost her life.

The British Heart Foundation says that every three minutes someone loses their life to heart and circulatory disease which devastates the lives of those they leave behind.

It says that by signing up to become a Heart Flyer, people can help the BHF fund even more life-saving research into these conditions. 

The BHF’s Heart Flyers programme is available nationwide and signing up has never been easier.  Choose a location from one of the 21 skydiving venues across the UK, pick a jump date and begin fundraising.   Sign up by visiting: www.bhf.org.uk/skydive .

With their feet firmly back on the ground, Gill said: “It was an amazing experience. I would highly recommend it to anyone. It hasn’t cured my fear of heights but I would definitely do a skydive again, in a heartbeat!

“The current total raised is £1,122 for BHF, which I’m so pleased with. I’ve been feeling so nervous about it for weeks now that by the time the actual day arrived, I felt unusually calm about it all.

“My tandem instructor had just under 11,000 skydives under his belt, so I felt in very good hands”.

The BHF relies entirely on the generosity of its fundraisers to fund ground-breaking discoveries and identify new treatments that could help save lives and protect families from the devastating effects of heart disease.

Joy Petley, Heart Flyers Manager at the BHF, said: “We are so grateful to Gill Davies for taking on this challenge, and to hear her daughter’s story is such an inspiration. I am sure her daughter Caitlin is extremely proud of her mummy.

“Skydiving is a fantastic way to do something unforgettable to raise vital funds to help the BHF continue its life saving research.

“Join our fight for every heartbeat, by signing up to take the plunge and become a Heart Flyer.”

Alan Quick