AN ELDENE grandma will tackle her fear of heights head on – when she throws herself out of a plane in aid of Brighter Futures.

Former GP surgery reception manager June Beckett, 59, says she is trying not to think too hard about the 15,000ft parachute jump – fearing she may suffer a sleepless night ahead of making the fundraising jump on Good Friday. 

The grandmother-of-seven told the Adver: “I always said it was something I would never be able to do.”

But, when her daughter took part in a charity skydive last November, June sat in on the safety briefing – and began to warm to the idea of throwing herself out of a plane, thousands of feet above the Wiltshire countryside.

“I’m scared, but I’m not thinking about it until the day,” said June.

She is raising money for Brighter Futures. The hospital appeal needs to raise £2.9 million to equip a new radiotherapy centre at Swindon’s Great Western Hospital. Currently, cancer patients face a 70-mile round-trip to the Churchill Hospital, Oxford.

June’s mum and brother both battled cancer. 

“He was 47 when he passed away,” said June. A rare cancer left him in specialist Chelsea cancer hospital The Royal Marsden on a course of 12 drugs. Her mum was treated at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Swindon.

June added: “I have got a lot of friends I know now who have had to go through the treatment. 

“They’re told they’ve got cancer, then they’re told they have to travel all that way to Oxford. It must be horrifying for them.”

Already, June has raised almost £370 – thanks in part to her eldest brother, who donated £100.

She will take to the skies with friend Kathy Smith, a nurse at the Wroughton surgery where June worked.

June is no extreme sports daredevil. This is the first skydive she has ever done. “I’m not sporty. I can’t even swim.”

She expects a few butterflies ahead of the day. And, while she is looking forward to the 60-second jump over the Salisbury countryside, she fears actually jumping from the plane. 

However, there’s no chance of backing down. “All the family are going to come out and watch it,” she said. 

The Brighter Futures’ fundraising team say that sponsored skydives have proved a popular way for people to raise cash for the appeal. Within a few weeks of the new year, many of the places on the Brighter Futures’ planned skydives had been taken. Each skydive raises at least £175 for Brighter Futures. For more about skydiving for the appeal, visit: www.brighterfuturesgwh.nhs.uk/events/skydiving/

To donate to June’s charity skydive, visit: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/june-beckett.