Rachel Greedy and Holly Kaylor are from Taunton. Both are close family members of Fran Thackeray, who sadly passed away in August 2021. On 8th April 2022, the pair took part in a tandem skydive at Dunkerswell Airfield to raise funds for the charity. Rachel tells us why…

In August 2021, my beloved mum, Fran, (67) very suddenly and unexpectedly collapsed at home; Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance (DSAA) was tasked to her aid. The amazing pilot landed the aircraft in difficult terrain and in complete darkness late at night.

Despite the amazing efforts of the air ambulance team, who worked alongside paramedics from the ambulance service to make Fran comfortable, providing ITU support and continuing their efforts to save her life, it just wasn’t possible. Fran was much loved by everyone who knew her. She was ‘Nanny Franny’ and a friend to so many. She will be dearly, dearly missed.

Without the interventions that DSAA performed, our family would not have been able to spend those precious final hours by mum’s side and we would have always wondered what might have happened if we had been able to get her to an intensive care setting more quickly. DSAA brought critical care doctors and the capabilities of an intensive care unit to her side, giving her the very best chance of survival.

Our family passionately believes that everyone should have that chance, which is why we decided to do something to raise money for such a vital cause.

On April 8th, which was my 47th birthday, Holly and I took to the skies for our skydive. We expected to be nervous, but on the day, we were more worried about whether the jump would go ahead or be cancelled due to bad weather.

It was a great experience and we loved it so much that we have booked to do another one later this year! With the support of so many people, we managed to raise £2,658, plus a further £544 in gift aid.

Fancy taking on the challenge and skydiving for Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance? If you want to take on the challenge and skydive for Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, we work in partnership with two companies, Skydive.Buzz and Go Skydive. Both offer thrill-seekers an opportunity to combine the most exciting and exhilarating moment of their lives, with raising funds for our life-saving charity. Want to book one today or find out more? Just visit: www.dsairambulance.org.uk/skydive Jump for Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance