A TRIO of daredevils took to the skies in memory of a three year-old girl who died from meningitis.

Friends Joanne Collins, Eleanor Hutchinson, from Westhoughton, and Kelly Forshaw, from Horwich, took the plunge from a plane at 10,000 feet -- strapped to skydive experts.

The three overcame their nerves to raise £2,000 for the Meningitis Research Foundation at the jump at Lancaster.

They decided to do the jump to raise cash in memory of Morgan Leyland who died in December, 2002, from meningitis.

Tragically, little Morgan's mother Sharon also later died while on holiday in the Domincan Republic in May.

Sharon Leyland, who was suffering from depression, fell from a hotel balcony.

Sharon and Rob, from Darcy Lever, had recently become parents to another daughter, Morgan Louise. Miss Collins, from Dunham Close, Westhoughton, said: "The whole experience was the best thing I've ever done in my life. If there's anything in life that I would tell other people to do, it's this.

"I was called up for my jump first and my knees went to jelly but the weather went overcast and I had to wait another two hours which felt like a lifetime! I was really calm getting into the plane but when the doors opened, I wanted to climb back in!

"I'm so glad I did it, I was on a natural high all day."

Mr and Mrs Leyland had planned to do a skydive together to raise money for the same charity before Sharon died. But Miss Collins, a friend of the family, decided to step in and roped in her two friends to do the jump instead. She said: "It was such a shame that Sharon didn't get chance to do it because she would have loved it.

"I'm just glad I had two friends with me because I couldn't have jumped without them. We've raised far more than I ever expected and we know it's going to a great cause."

Anyone to make a donation or to help can visit the charity online or get involved in other fundraising events at www.meningitis.org.