At the December Young Guns event, I was lucky enough to have my name called first out of the raffle. Despite a vast range of non life threatening choices to pick from, I thought it would be a good decision to pick a skydive, which had been kindly donated by Daisy Chain Project. Alcohol in no way affected this decision, and I absolutely have not regretted it once since!

Therefore, on Wednesday 14th June, I will be jumping out of an aeroplane all in the name of charity.

For those that are unaware of Daisy Chain, the charity was established in 2003 as the dream of its founder, Lesley Hanson, whose son Jacob was diagnosed with autism at an early age.

Although Jacob's condition was not severe, Lesley soon became aware of the problems faced by the parents and carers of children who were higher on the autistic spectrum.

Lesley dreamt of a haven for children with autism; a place where they could go to experience something in life that would give them pleasure and was especially for them. It would also provide parents, carers and siblings with support and a resource library.

Disgruntled with the lack of facilities and services available to support families, Lesley and her husband Duane set off on a quest to make her dream become a reality. After extensive fundraising, the doors to Daisy Chain opened one year after her initial dream and it has continued to grow ever since.

Now, many years later, the charity:

Helps more than 1,700 families in the Tees Valley
Supports 581 children each week
Provides 599 hours of respite per week
We are continuing to develop our facilities and services all the time. Lesley died in 2004, but to ensure her dream still lives on, Daisy Chain need your help!

Any donations would be extremely appreciated.