Ten years ago, Graham was diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia and has been treated in Derriford Hosptial, where the staff have twice saved his life in the past 4 years. Since 1988, the Plymouth and District Leukaemia Fund (PDLF) has raised £1,800,000 for the Unit. Graham is skydiving with Julie to help PDLF in their mission to expand their facilities even further, providing the brilliant staff there with the best support that science can supply.

A share of the funds we are raising today will also go towards funding research into Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy Worksop. More than 70,000 people in the UK have MD or a related condition. Since 1959 Muscular Dystrophy UK has raised and invested more than £55 million in high quality research into muscle-wasting conditions. MD is caused by mutations in the genes. This causes changes in the muscle fibres which interfere with the muscles' ability to function. Over time, this causes increasing disability.

VSO brings people together to address marginalisation and poverty. Right now, VSO is bringing justice to rape survivors in Pakistan, ending stigma against disabled children in Ethiopia and tackling the youth skills gap in Uganda.

We got here as two friends, sitting having a drink in the Whitchurch Inn, chatting about charities and fundraising, as you do.

Julie mentioned that she is involved in a Voluntary Service Overseas fundraising effort in Whitchurch. VSO has always been close to Graham’s heart and, as a Rotarian for 25 years, he has worked with a number of young people travelling abroad under the VSO umbrella. He simply couldn’t resist the invitation to join in with Julie.

Together, they convinced each other that a parachute jump would be a splendid way of raising money.

Then their horizons changed. The VSO will need about £1000 so, they thought, why not go all out for a major fundraising target?

They decided that, after the VSO contribution, any money raised will be split between two charities that are hugely important to Julie and Graham – Muscular Dystrophy \Worksop and the Plymouth and District Leukaemia Fund.

Graham has supported the cause of Leukaemia research and support for 10 years, from the day that he was diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia. With friends, and Rotary, he has raised about £15,000 for leukaemia charities.

In 2011, Graham’s wife, Ginnie, did a parachute jump in support of Leukaemia. Her main parachute didn’t open, but that’s another story.

Three years ago, the wonderful staff at Birch and Bracken Wards in Derriford Hospital saved his life twice and since then their support and treatment have helped him to regain a wonderful quality of life.

Graham has long wanted to repay even a little for the life that these wonderful people have given him and when he heard that Plymouth and District Leukaemia Fund has a fundraising effort to extend and improve those wards, he jumped (literally!) at the chance to offer his support. The staff at Derriford are amongst the best in the world at helping people with Leukaemia and if we can raise a significant amount of money to provide them with equipment to match their brilliance, then that will be a tremendous achievement.

… and anyway, the parachute can’t fail to open again, can it?