Nicole’s charity parachute jump

Dec 15 2011 by Shirley Bartynek, Hamilton Advertiser

A BRAVE Hamilton woman has taken a huge leap of faith for a Blantyre charity.

Nicole Pollock has raised £925 for The Haven by taking part in a parachute jump.

The 20-year-old wanted to do something that would really challenge her, so decided to take on a parachute jump at Strathallan Airfield in Perthshire.

The event had been delayed a number of times due to poor weather conditions, so Nicole was delighted when she finally got the chance to perform the jump.

She explained: “I chose The Haven as the charity that I wanted to raise funds for as a way of me showing how grateful I was for all the support my family have received at The Haven.

“It is a very special place and it has helped us all so much. The experience of the parachute jump was absolutely fantastic and I would do it again in a minute.”

The Haven requires £30,000 each month to enable the team there to continue with their vital support services to individuals and families in the community, whose lives are being affected by a wide range of life limiting illnesses such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, motor neurone disease and Parkinson’s disease.

June Sutherland, fundraiser and events co-ordinator at The Haven, said: “It never ceases to amaze me what people will actually do to raise funds for The Haven and Nicole should be very proud of herself for completing this tough challenge.

“We are extremely grateful to Nicole for raising such a fantastic amount of much needed funds for The Haven.

“I would also like to take this opportunity to extend our sincere thanks to everyone who very kindly supported and sponsored Nicole. Their generosity is truly appreciated.”

Meanwhile, The Haven’s Tuesday afternoon volunteers held their Christmas Craft Fayre at St Andrew’s Parish Church, Church Street, Blantyre.

The event was opened by South Lanarkshire Provost Russell Clearie, who said: “The amount and variety of products on sale was tremendous and The Haven volunteers are to be congratulated on their hard work and efforts.”

The day was a great success and so far has raised over £2600.

All proceeds and donations from the event will go towards helping The Haven which provides physical, emotional and practical support to people affected by life-limiting illnesses, such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, motor neurone disease and Huntington’s disease and also supports family members and carers of all ages.

The Haven will be celebrating its 10th Birthday in 2012 and the funds raised from this event will go towards the money needed each month to enable the centre to continue to provide support to people in the community.

lIf you would like to find out more about The Haven Support Services, please call 01698 727884 or if you are interested in taking part in a parachute jump to help them raise funds, please call June on 01698 727505 or visit www.thehavencentre.com.