Islander left ‘devastated’ by charity skydive cancellation
CANCELLATION of plans for a skydive in aid of Cancer Research UK have been ‘devastating’ for a local woman on a fundraising drive.
The skydive was initially planned to mark Penny Muir-Field’s 50th birthday, and then her 51st. Both attempts have now been cancelled due to Covid travel restrictions.
Mrs Muir-Field had already collected just under £3,000 for the charity, when Skydive Jersey announced that it would be cancelling a planned skydiving event in Guernsey this year.
‘It remains a difficult year to plan any event with the ever-changing rules. We have reached a stage where it is not possible to obtain the required regulatory safety and compliance documentation required from Guernsey Ports, in time for our proposed dates,’ the company said in a Facebook post.
Mrs Muir-Field said she was still planning on jumping at some point, but she is no longer sure when it may be able to happen.
‘I have asked for Jersey dates to see if I could maybe travel over there to do it. If not I will have to wait till next year,’ she said.
‘I feel so bad for everyone who donated. I appreciate everyone’s donations to Cancer Research.’
Cancer research is a cause near to Mrs Muir-Field’s heart.
She said her family has known multiple people who have battled with cancer, and she wanted to do something to help.
Two years ago, her daughter Holly raised £4,150 for Cancer Research UK by shaving her head and donating her hair to the Little Princess Trust.
She said seeing her daughter do something as extreme as cutting off her long curly hair for charity had encouraged her to do something out of her comfort zone.
‘I was so nervous about skydiving because I’m petrified of heights, but I wanted to do something extraordinary to raise money for cancer research,’ she said.
She said she will continue raising money for Cancer Research UK until she is able to jump – either later this month or next year.
