A 76-year-old man has completed a skydive to raise money for a hospice that cared for his late wife.
Tom Lowery jumped 11,000ft from a plane on Sunday (February 19) morning in memory of his wife who was cared for by St Ann’s Hospice, in Little Hulton.
Joan Lyons, Tom’s partner of 24 years, was a patient at the hospice and she had been ill for three months with a brain tumour. She was cared for there until she died in March last year.
He said: “I really enjoyed the skydive, it was incredible – but I’m so glad to be back on solid ground!
“Joan received excellent care from St Ann’s Hospice despite being in the throes of the latter months of the pandemic.”
Tom, a retired HGV driver and Royal Signals veteran, is also going through health issues following his own cancer diagnosis but was more than ready for his parachute jump.
He said: “Thank you very much to everyone who has donated to St Ann’s Hospice, I hope they get lots of money to support them.“
Tom, who had to get the all clear from his doctor for the jump following his diagnosis, said: “I have prostate cancer so the drugs that I’m on have made me too weak to take on a 24-hour walk or a marathon. This is the next best thing I can do; I’ve never done a parachute jump before so I’m very excited.”
Tom’s family and friends came to support him at the Black Knights Parachute Centre in Cockerham.
After jumping 11,000 feet through the air, Tom said: “I loved it, but if I do anything else for charity it’ll be marathons not another jump!”
He has already surpassed his target of raising £500 and has currently raised just over £1,000.
Tom added: “We all want to raise as much money as possible for such a great cause that supported Joan. Her last days were spent peacefully at the hospice and their incredible staff provided our family with kindness, support and a much-needed sense of peace at the end of her life.”
Anne-Marie Wynne, head of fundraising and Capital Campaign, says: “We are so delighted that Tom completed his amazing challenge to raise money for St Ann’s Hospice – he’s braver than all of us!
“Every single donation makes a difference and helps us to continue providing the vital care and support to all those who visit our hospice.”
To donate to Tom for his parachute jump, his JustGiving page can be found here.
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