Cleaner swaps mop for parachute

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Photo: Sam Butler and Esther Fuggle.

Two thrill-seeking Marden mothers will be jumping out of an aeroplane to raise money for the Kent Air Ambulance.

Sam Butler, 28, and Esther Fuggle, 35, will be bailing out at 10,000ft in a sponsored skydive at Headcorn Airfield on August 1.

Sam, of The Cockpits, has worked for the Kent Air Ambulance as a part-time cleaner for five years.

The mother-of-two has so far raised almost £300 for the life-saving charity which needs £1.7m-a-year to stay airborne.

She said: “I’ve never done anything like this before, I’m looking forward to it but at the same time I’m very scared of aeroplanes and flying.

“As it’s the 20^th anniversary of the Kent Air Ambulance I thought I would do it for them and also because it’s a local charity and I work there.

“I see what goes on there behind the scenes and how much they rely on public donations. I think it’s brilliant every time I see the helicopter go up.

“A skydive is just one of them things that you think to yourself, ‘It’s got to be done, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience’.”

The pair, both former Marden Primary School pupils, will be hurtling towards the ground at 120mph and will be in freefall until they reach 5,000ft.

Sam will be raising money for the Marden-based helicopter while mother-of-two Esther will be supporting the Heart of Kent Hospice where her father passed away a few months ago.

Esther, of South Road, said: “The support the hospice gave him and his family was just brilliant. I’m looking forward to the skydive but there’s also the element of the unknown about it.

“I’m scared of flying and heights so it’s a bit of a challenge. I don’t normally jump out of aeroplanes.”