A school cook is to jump from a plane to raise funds to resurface the children's playground.
Sarah Smith, from Radley Primary School near Abingdon, will take part in her first parachute jump to raise money for Friends of Radley Primary School (FoRPS).
FoRPS, a registered charity, is a fundraising committee consisting of parents and carers, and is hoping to raise £22,000 to resurface the school playground.
READ MORE: Air show is hit by last-minute postponement
Through her parachute jump, Ms Smith hopes to raise £2,000 towards the playground campaign
She said: “I've worked at Radley Primary School as cook for the past 15 years. I turn 50 in May and as a present my parents bought me a parachute jump which I'd had on my bucket list.
"I decided if I'm going to jump out of a perfectly good aeroplane, then why not do it for a good cause and raise some money.
"With that in mind, I decided that the school would be just perfect. The staff and children mean everything to me, and it is a fantastic place to work. I'm hoping to raise as much money as I can to help them achieve their goals."
The parachute jump will take place - weather permitting - on Sunday, May 26 at Hinton Airfield on the Northamptonshire/Oxfordshire border.
Radley Primary School has recently had building work completed on a new extension to the school.
The outdoor space of the school has not been left in the best condition following the building works.
FoRPS are now on a mission to help improve the play areas for the children.
To keep up to date with the fundraising progress please visit https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/rpsplayground
Claire Thomas, headteacher at Radley Primary School, said: “As you may know, we are going through a 'financially difficult' time right now.
READ MORE: D-Day torch ceremony to begin in Botley
"With a growing student population and ever-increasing costs, we are constantly looking for ways to raise funds to support our amazing students and staff. Sarah, our wonderful school cook, and playleader at breakfast and after school club, is taking on a parachute jump to raise money for our school.
"She is doing this to celebrate a 'special' birthday and we couldn't be more proud of her. Sarah is setting an excellent example to the children by going outside of her comfort zone, just like we encourage them to do in their learning every day.”
Jessica Dhiman, chair of Friends of Radley Primary, said: “We are a small school, aiming big in our fundraising goals. It is amazing that Sarah, who has been part of the school for so long, is taking on the challenge of a skydive and raising money for the school at the same time - a double achievement! We are very grateful to the school and local community for all support provided to help us reach our goal."
To sponsor Sarah visit their fundraising page online at https://www.justgiving.com/page/sarahsparachutejump
FoRPS are also looking forward to their summer fete on Saturday, July 13, which this year will be held alongside the Radley Flower Show.
Help support trusted local news
Sign up for a digital subscription now: oxfordmail.co.uk/subscribe
As a digital subscriber you will get:
- Unlimited access to the Oxford Mail website
- Advert-light access
- Reader rewards
- Full access to our app
About the author
Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here.
He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.
His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning.
You can also read his weekly Traffic and Transport newsletter.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here