Daredevil nurse Sarah’s 15,000 ft skydive for care home

Sarah Cook will rise - and fall - to the challenge in the skies above Shotton on Saturday, August 5, to raise funds for Holly House Care Home in Washington with her first ever skydive.

Sarah, a community staff nurse from Houghton, does not work at the Albany home herself, but is part of the Washington Integrated Nursing Team and works for South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust.

Sarah, 43, has not set a target figure for her efforts, but she says she would like to raise as much as possible to help the elderly residents at the Albany Way care home.

The money she is raising will go towards the hire of a minibus to take the elderly residents out on trips. It will also help to pay for some other activities that they enjoy.

Sarah, who has three daughters and a son, has now been a nurse for more than a decade, although her duties not previously extended to leaping from an aircraft over County Durham.

However, one of her daughters, Bethany Cook, is a medic in the army and has made the leap from a plane a number of times.

Sarah is apprehensive but excited at the prospect of taking the plunge: “I’m looking forward to it. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” she said.

"I am nervous, because obviously jumping from an aeroplane at 15,000 feet is a big undertaking.

“I’m hoping people will get behind me a little bit to get the home some money to be able to treat the residents in their later life. They deserve to have trips out. They deserve to have activities.

“They really care at the home and want the best for their residents.”

To contribute to and reward Sarah’s brave efforts, donors can contact Holly House directly.

Alternatively they can attend the care home’s summer fair on Saturday, July 29.

Anyone who might be interested in setting up a stall should also contact the home.