A WEST Somerset woman is to have some of her ashes scattered during a 15,000 feet charity skydive on the first anniversary of her death later this month.
Diane Cotter, who lived all her life in Watchet, died on March 24 last year after suffering breast cancer.
Now, her daughter Sharon Holland, of Croftways, Williton, is to make a parachute jump on the day of the anniversary in memory of her and also to raise funds for Breast Cancer UK.
Sharon will take some of her mother’s ashes to sprinkle in the wind as she descends and will also wear a specially printed purple T-shirt for the jump because it was Diane’s favourite colour.
Diane used to clean in the West Somerset Hotel and the Esplanade Club, in Watchet, and regularly helped with the town’s carnival and music festival.
She fought a long battle with cancer, doing so with dignity and remaining happy, so much so that even two weeks before her death last year she insisted on attending her birthday party in the West Somerset Hotel, although she was so poorly she could only stay for an hour.
Sharon said: “She was a total credit, she never once complained, so this is so deserved in her memory on her anniversary.
“I did a sponsored run for charity last year and raised a bit of money, and I thought everybody does the same kind of thing and so I wanted to so something with a bit more punch in it.”
Sharon, who has driven night buses for six years for Somerset Passenger Solutions, which transports Hinkley Point C workers, will be joined for the skydive by fellow driver and friend Claire Wilson, whose mother Carol was recently also diagnosed with breast cancer.
“I decided to go for the 15,000 feet jump rather than the 7,000 feet mainly because if I am going up, I want to go to the top and not half-way,” said Sharon.
“What better way to try and raise as much money for this charity? It is something myself and Claire feel passionately about.
“I thought at 7,000 feet it will be over all too soon after getting over the shock of jumping out but at 15,000 feet you have more time and the scenery will be beautiful on the way down.
“You are travelling at 120 mph for the free-fall first part of the jump but once our parachute is open and we have steadied in my fall they do not see any reason why I cannot let some of mum’s ashes go while I am coming down.”
The skydive will take place at Dunkeswell Aerodrome, on the Blackdown Hills, at 12 noon and will be watched by friends and family and a video of the adventure will be made.
Sharon and Claire have both set up online funding appeals via justgiving.com, each setting an initial target of £400.
However, Sharon has already passed £600 and so has raised the target to £1,000, while Claire has also nearly reached the £400 mark.
The money will go to Breast Cancer UK, which raises awareness of the preventable risk factors for breast cancer and provides practical information to help lower people’s risk.
It campaigns for policy change to support prevention, and funds scientific research to help improve understanding of how to stop the disease.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK with more than 55,000 women and 390 men diagnosed with it each year - a quarter of the cases being preventable.
Sharon said: “It is tough for everybody when that sort of thing is going on and as well as doing this jump in memory of my mum, we want to help other families facing the same disease.”