A Wishaw woman took her beloved sister's ashes with her on a charity skydive and scattered them thousands of feet in the air.
Lynda Murray was inspired by her late sister Irene to take part in the fundraising event on behalf of the Les Hoey MBE DreamMaker Foundation. She got the chance to fulfil her dream by dropping from 10,000 feet during the skydive at St Andrews Airfield in Glenrothes.
Adrenaline Rush and a Promise to Her Sister
Lynda, a well-known face in the town due to being a lollipop lady for the joint campuses of Wishaw Academy and St Ignatius Primary School, said: “I loved it. It was such an adrenaline rush.
“It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do. When she was unwell my sister Irene told me to live life to the full and so that’s what I’m doing.
“She passed away in June 2023 so I took some of her ashes up with me and when I got the chance I scattered some of them. It was amazing.”
Weight Loss Journey to Achieve the Dream
Lynda, 54, added a skydive to her 'bucket list' once she turned 50 but was unable to do so due to weight issues. She embarked on a weight loss programme and has lost more than four stone which allowed her to take part in the skydive.
“I didn’t realise you had to be below a certain weight before you could do one,” said Lynda.
“I started Slimming World and have lost the weight over the past two years.
“I’ve got arthritis in my knees and spine but I just thought I wanted to do it. My sister kept telling me to keep going and that gave me the kick up the backside I needed.”
Other Participants and Fundraising Success
Joining Lynda in completing the skydive was Karen Cochrane, from Armadale, and Larkhall salon owner Nicola McCallum. Nicola, who runs LPerfection in the town, said: “It was absolutely brilliant. I can’t believe how much I actually enjoyed it.
“Les has done a lot for my family over the years so when Angela from the charity mentioned about the skydive I was well up for it.
“I didn’t have any real nerves, it mainly excitement and we have raised a huge amount of money. We had a £3,000 target and we have smashed that.
“I think we are up to £4200 with Gift Aid.”
Weather Delays and Future Plans
Unfortunately only Lynda, Karen and Nicola were able to complete their skydive out of potentially seven participants due to bad weather. However, new dates have already been fixed and it's expected the remaining four will do their dives in October.
Charity king Les said: “Our remaining jumpers will be rescheduling their dives, so this definitely isn’t the end of Jumping for Dreams there’s still plenty more to come.
“A massive thank you to every single person who donated, supported, shared our posts and cheered our team on.
“Your support has been incredible and every penny raised helps us continue creating special memories for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families across Scotland.”
