A MAN suffering with multiple sclerosis conquered his fear of heights in order to raise funds for Swindon Therapy Centre,

Shaun Leyfield, from Royal Wootton Bassett, headed to the sky at Redlands Airfield, Wanborough, to support the MS and neurological facility in Bradbury House.

The 54-year-old said: “I have never been in a plane before and I hate heights, so that was challenging, but it was awesome. I can’t describe the feeling of being in the air but it’s a great feeling.”

Shaun was diagnosed with the autoimmune condition in 1991 and now needs sticks or a wheelchair to move, depending on the pain he is experiencing.

He added: “The centre provides specialised gym, counselling, massage and more and they have been very helpful, because it’s not always easy."

“It was a great opportunity for me to raise money and help the centre get a new roof.”

Community fundraiser Sarah Heppenstall said: “Two of our members tandem skydived, Linda Sellwood and Shaun. Both have multiple sclerosis, so it was a great achievement.”

Shaun has raised £2,000 to support the self-funded centre which provides therapies and services for people living with neurological conditions.

Sarah added: “Shaun and Linda regularly use our fully-equipped gym and attend exercise classes. Our gym runs solely on donations, so we are grateful for fundraising achievements like this to pay for our physios and upkeep of gym equipment.

“It was a pleasure to watch our members achieve something that was a once-in-a-lifetime achievement for them.

“They have been heroes at the centre today not only for their fundraising but also their bravery in jumping out of a perfectly good plane.

“Repairing the roof is one of the projects we need to fund next and we are applying for grants and funding to do so.

“I can’t say that this money will be ring marked for a particular project as providing therapies and counselling is just as vital as a bit of a roof leak.”