Staff at trendy fashion retailer Superdry in Swansea’s busy Quadrant Centre are for the high jump – literally.
Four of them will be stepping out of a plane 13,000 feet above Swansea for a charity skydive in aid of the Maggie’s Cancer Caring Charity based at Singleton Hospital in the city.
The idea for the jump came from Superdry assistant manager James Kane who said: “It’s something I’ve really always wanted to do but had just never got round to it but this is a really good cause.
“We were looking for a suitable charity and there are so many which deserve support but one of our colleagues had lost a friend to cancer and she had been through a lot and we wanted to recognise that.
“It’s a bit scary doing the jump. I didn’t think I was frightened of heights ntil I went up a staircase without a banister but this will be something else.”
As well as James, store manager Lucy Littlejohns will be making the jump along with Hayat Rafique, Abigail Wilson and Holly Thomas.
Quadrant Centre Manager Ian Kirkpatrick said: “This is a really worthy cause. We all know people affected by cancer and I know that the staff at Superdry wanted to do this to support a colleague who lost her battle against the disease.
“The Quadrant is very much part of the local community here in Swansea and that is shown by the generosity of the people who shop here and the people who work here whenever they are called upon to donate.”
They will freefall for almost a minute to 5,000 feet, reaching speeds of up to 120mph, before their chutes are opened to allow them to drift down to a landing.
The money they raise will go to Maggie’s South West Wales, part of a national cancer charity, which is located beside Singleton Hospital in Swansea.
The purpose-built centre aims to provide support to to anybody affected by cancer in the region which sees more than 3,000 new cases diagnosed each year.
Maggie’s Community Fundraiser Vicki Jones said: “We’re thrilled the staff at Superdry are supporting us in this way. It’s a really fantastic effort on their part and we’re very grateful.
“Every penny that’s raised goes to the running of the centre and we need £250,000 a year to provide all the services we can to help not just the people affected by cancer but their family, relatives and friends.”
Maggie’s South West Wales has operated from the hospital for nearly five years but only opened its news purpose-built facilities at Singleton Hospital only last December and is providing specialist support for up to 62 people a day from as far afield as Aberystwyth.
