One of the great joys of being Mayor is meeting the many people doing brilliant things for others. From food banks, to those who help young people, the disabled and the vulnerable, one wonders where we would be without the herculean efforts of our local charities.

For my Mayoral year, I am raising funds for a simply remarkable charity. Oasis is a small team of devoted people helping vulnerable families and children in and around Elmbridge.

They help families who are in crisis or struggling to cope or who are at risk. They run a nursery, an outreach scheme, a programme for survivors of domestic abuse, a therapeutic arts programme, a course in emotional resilience for adults as well as an Easter Holiday Fresh Food and Toiletries Bank. The testimonials that people have written about them prove just how lucky we are to have them in our borough.

I am terrified of heights, so I’ve set myself a challenge of raising £5,000 by undertaking a tandem skydive. I will, fortunately, be strapped to someone who knows what they are doing. We will jump from 10,000ft, but if we raise significantly more than my target, we will raise the bar to 15,000ft. The more we raise the higher we go!

In line with many previous Mayors, 10% of the funds I raise will go to the Mayor of Elmbridge Trust Fund a charity that provides funding to assist residents, especially young people, who are in need and to provide for the victims of natural or manmade disasters.