Fife man's 10,000 feet skydive fundraiser for Maggie's Cancer Care Centre

Mark Ritchie is set to take the plunge in June after his mum,Trisha Battrick, was diagnosed with cancer.

The 32 year old Fife Council carer described himself as a “thrillseeker” and initially wanted to go to more extreme lengths to raise money for the vital cancer charity.

He explained: “Originally it was going to be the 15,000ft skydive, but there were some complications with the booking and with the skydiving team.

“I actually phoned them and the guy said they were not fitting oxygen to the planes any more – I didn’t realise flights over 12,000ft needed that, so maybe it’s a good idea that it's the 10,000ft jump I’m doing..

“I’m really looking forward to it. I’m a bit of a thrillseeker and it's something I thought people would sponsor. Obviously with my mum and the situation she’s going through I thought it would be the most eye-catching”.

Mark is already well on his way to his target of £1500, having taken in donations from people around the Kingdom and thanks to generous donations from employees at businesses such as Sky, Fife Council Recycling services, Victoria Hospital and Community Use Sports.

However, for Mark, raising money for the charity isn’t the only thing he hopes to get from the skydive. He also hopes that he’ll be able to draw attention to the services offered by Maggies’.

He explained: “The money is good for Maggie’s but if I could get a few people to look at the centre and the support it gives people in a time when their life is turned upside down, that’s the most important thing to me”.

Mark’s mum was first diagnosed with cancer five years ago and was advised to seek out Maggie’s for a chat. They were both originally unsure of what role Maggie’s could play in her recovery.

Mark explained: “My mum told me that she had just come back from an art class and I was really happy and surprised. I asked her if she had taken art back up at Balwearie and she said ‘no, I’m going to Maggie’s’.

“When she first mentioned Maggie’s I thought it was quite a straight laced, ‘this is your information’ kind of place. I thought I would go and have a chat with them myself, and they couldn’t have been more welcoming, even just a two or three-minute introduction”.

Despite Trisha’s diagnosis, Mark describes his mum’s personality as positive and says the family support network is keeping her going.

He said: “She’s the most positive person I know, even under the most life changing, negative circumstances. She has so much support around her, I have an enormous family and it doesn’t matter what the situation is or what someone is struggling with, they all just band together. It’s just amazing to be honest with you”.

You can find Mark’s fundraiser here: https://www.facebook.com/donate/1369538740551701/