Jess Roots along with colleagues Emma Masters, Rica Mari Paez, Hannah Taylor, Joanna Ogrodniczuk and Charlie Self from St Luke’s Cancer Centre completed their charity skydive Saturday 18^th September 2021.

The team have set themselves the target of raising £10,000 for the Royal Surrey Charity with the wish to purchase ten new chemotherapy chairs for the Chilworth Ward Chemotherapy unit.

After a very early start, (getting up at 5am on their day off), the team travelled down to ‘Go Skydive’, Salisbury. After a quick BBC Surrey radio interview they boarded the plane, jumping 15,000 feet on a clear day.

Raising money for the Chilworth Ward, the team have so far raised nearly £5,000 thanks to donations from friends, family, colleagues and the wider community. Jess explains why they wanted to fundraise specifically for the chairs:

“The chairs are very relaxing, they give you the reclining option. They are much more comfortable for patients that are there, for long periods of time. The chairs we currently have are not that comfortable when you are there for the six hours, but with the recliner they will be much more comfortable.”

This is not the first skydive Jess has embarked on, undertaking a similar challenge a few years ago. The money raised from that challenge was used to purchase ‘Wall Glamour’s’ (high spec murals depicting beautiful scenes from the nature), which adorn the walls of the ward, (pictured).

One of the stunning Wall Glamours, thanks to fundraising.

Jess admitted to being a bit nervous before this challenge jump, especially during those moments of waiting for the parachute to open!

 “We are very fortunate to have such a passionate and proactive group of nurses at the Royal Surrey. Not only are they leading lights in terms of offering the highest standards of care and support to our patients, but they also go beyond the call of duty when it comes to identifying how we can make a real difference to patient comfort within the hospital. We are incredibly grateful to Jess, Emma, Rica, Hannah, Joanna and Charlie, as well as everyone who has supported their fantastic fundraising efforts.” Head of Fundraising, The Royal Surrey Charity, Robin Legge.

The team’s fundraising page will be live for several weeks to come with donations welcomed.

St Luke's From Us to You fundraising page | Royal Surrey Charity

Banner image: copyright Jess Roots