READY TO JUMP: hospice parachute jumper Gemma Richardson.
Fundraisers will do anything to help the Dig Deep campaign - even throw themselves out of planes.
Gemma Richardson, 24, plans to do just that on May 20 when she takes to the skies for a sponsored parachute jump for the Hospice of St Francis.
She said: "I'm absolutely terrified but hopefully on the day it '11 be ok. My mum's not very happy about me doing it but I thought it was something I'd never do again.
"I think I must have lost my marbles when I was thinking about what I could do to raise money for the hospice. I knew I couldn't do a sponsored silence so I thought parachuting!"
Gemma, of Lombardy Drive, Berkhamsted, lost her father Ray to cancer in July 2002 and wanted to help the hospice for the way they looked after him.
She said: "I just felt that the hospice looked after my dad in his last few hours and I wanted to put something back.
"It was just nice for him to be somewhere so pleasant. We didn't want him to be in hospital and he died about five hours after getting into the hospice. We felt that he hung on until he got there."
Gemma hopes to raise around £1,500 for the hospice when she takes the plunge at Hinton in Oxfordshire.
You can sponsor Gemma on line at
www.justgiving.com/gemmarichardson.
The Hospice is also on the look out for as many parachutists as possible to do a jump for them on 16 July at Chatteris in Cambridgeshire.
The jump will cost £375 with £140 going towards the hospice.
All interested would-be parachutists should contact either Roger Sharp or Wendy Campbell on 01442 869550 for further details and the all important sponsorship forms.
Meanwhile, fundraisers at the Methodist Church in Hemel Hempstead have raised more than £500 for the hospice.
Churchgoers organised an auction of promises with lots including a week in a holiday home, an hour's housework, computer lessons and baking.
Christine Andrews of the church said: "It was good fun and great to know we were helping this appeal."
The hospice requires £2.5 million to complete the construction of a new purpose-built facility on the edge of Berkhamsted.
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