A 73-year-old woman from Eastbourne isn’t letting her age deter her from jumping out of a plane for dementia research.
June Christophi says that she is “mostly excited” but also slightly nervous as she prepares to do the skydive on June 9.
She decided to take on the amazing challenge as she is a member of Eastbourne Sovereign Inner Wheel Club, an all-female organisation. Their president’s husband is living with dementia, so the club had been fundraising for dementia research for some time by running coffee mornings and afternoon teas.
However, June wanted to do something big to help raise vital funds for research. When she attended a conference in Bournemouth, there was a stand there offering information about doing a skydive for Alzheimer’s Research UK.
She went home and signed up immediately. She has now raised over £1,300 and has smashed her target, but she is hopeful that people will keep donating to support the cause.
She said: “So many people, some who I haven’t seen in years, have been donating, which has been really wonderful.
“I’m going to be turning 74 the day before the skydive and at this point in my life, I just feel that I have to go for it. I have to do these things.
“Of course there is a part of me that is a little bit nervous, but I’m looking forward to doing it and am delighted to be raising much needed funds for dementia research. It is an incredibly important cause. We all know somebody who has been touched by dementia, and we need to keep raising funds to stop other families having to suffer in the future.”
June says she wouldn’t be doing the skydive without the amazing support that she has received from her friends at her Inner Wheel Club.
She said: “A few years ago, I was in a very bad place. I had just been through a divorce and my brother died. It was a really difficult time. It was around then that a friend brought me along to an Inner Wheel meeting. Being part of the club has really changed my life.
“I would like to thank them all for being so wonderful and supportive and for giving me the courage to do this skydive.”
To donate, you can visit June’s JustGiving page here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/June-Christophi
Georgi Welch, Regional Fundraising Officer for the South East at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said:
“We would like to say a huge thank you to June for taking on this incredible skydive to raise vital funds for Alzheimer’s Research UK.
“We are asking people across the country to sign up for our next national skydive day on September 22, to help us in our mission to bring about the first life-changing treatment for dementia by 2025.
“June has shown extraordinary dedication in taking on this skydive and we would like to wish her all the best of luck. We know she’s going to smash it!”
You can sign up for our next skydive day in September here: https://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/support-us/fundraise/skydive/