Nicola takes the plunge for heroes

Nicola McPherson, of Rotherham, raised over £4,000 for Help for Heroes by jumping out of an airplane and holding a charity fancy dress day in the same week.

The 24-year-old took the leap on Saturday, jumping 13,000ft at Neveravon Airfield.

“It was brilliant,” she said. “We raised four times what we were expecting.

"At the time of the jump nothing was going through my mind really, I cant describe it.

“I was falling at around 125mph and got this massive rush. Then when I opened the parachute everything turned weirdly quiet and relaxing.

“Everything on the ground appeared really small and all the cars looked as though they were driving really slowly.”

Supporting injured soldiers is close to Nicola's heart as her brother, Capt Paul McPherson, is currently serving on the front-line with D Battery Royal Horse Artillery in Afghanistan.  

Nicola, who works in the baby unit at Wickersley Nursery, organised a Heroes Day there two days before her jump.

The event raised £416 for the charity through fancy dress and a raffle.

She said: “If people don’t have anybody in the army they don’t always know about the charity.

“But we shouldn’t wait until someone comes home with an injury before we help, we need to do as much as we can."

You can still support Nicola’s fund-raising by visiting www.bmycharity.com/v2/nicmc.