[A] duo of daring workers from Specsavers Workington have tested their limits during a skydiving challenge to raise money for a national cancer charity.
Optical advisor Kellie Moore and lab assistant Louise Scott together jumped out of a plane 13,000 ft. above the village of Flookburgh as an extreme fundraising mission for The Brain Tumour Charity, which the pair have a personal connection to.
Four years ago, Kellie had a tumour removed at Manchester Salford Royal hospital which resulted in the loss of hearing in her right ear. It was this experience which inspired Kellie to raise money for others going through the same thing.
In total, the pair raised an impressive £3333.33 for the charity, which will go a long way towards funding vital research on the disease. This neat number was a result of Kellie’s husband generously donating the extra funds to round the total up to a memorable amount.
Through their work at Specsavers, Kellie and Louise understood the importance of eye tests for detecting symptoms of tumours that could otherwise go unnoticed. Spotting these warning signs helps to detect a tumour in its early stages, which can mean the difference between life and death.
The store on Murray Road now displays leaflets from the charity HeadSmart, an organisation that aims to reduce brain tumour diagnosis time by raising public awareness of these symptoms.
Kellie said: “I found the sky dive absolutely terrifying – I’m very glad I did it but I don’t see another jump on the cards anything time soon!
“Myself and Louise have been amazed at how generous people have been with their donations. So many people are affected by this awful disease and anything we could do to fund more research into fighting it has definitely been worth it.”