A few months ago, I became a Trustee of Wessex Heartbeat, and now they have asked me to become Chairman - and as a reward (?) they are throwing me out of a plane at 13,000ft!

Wessex Heartbeat was established in 1992 and provides valuable support to the Wessex Cardiac Centre (WCC) based at Southampton General Hospital. As a renowned centre of excellence, the WCC treats over 20,000 patients annually and around 1000 babies and children born with congenital heart defects. Its footprint extends from Cornwall up to Bristol across to Reading, down to Portsmouth and includes the Channel Islands.

Wessex Heartbeat have been able to achieve a number of goals over the years and one of its proudest has been the creation of Heartbeat House. The last thing a patient needs to worry about when they're receiving treatment is the welfare of their loved ones and this house, located within a few minutes walk of the hospital, provides free-of-charge accommodation for relatives of cardiac patients. It can quite literally be a haven during difficult and stressful times, but it costs £1,000 per week to run and maintain it and every penny is met through voluntary donations.

Wessex Heartbeat has, over the years, raised funds for several million pounds worth of specialist equipment. This includes a Babypod and a PICU (Paediatric Intensive Care Unit) Ambulance . The £1million refurbishment of the children's ward - Ocean Ward - has made it one of the finest facilities of its kind in the UK, thanks to funding from Wessex Heartbeat supporters. The Heartbeat Education Centre provides state-of-the-art equipment for the Wessex Cardiac Centre to use for staff training and conferences.

Wessex Heartbeat has its now launched its High 5 Appeal, looking to raise £500,000 for a Young Adults Cardiac Unit.

To be absolutely clear, I have paid for the costs of the jump personally, so all contributions are for the sole benefit of Wessex Heartbeat.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Thanks for your support

Mike