Skydiving mental health nurses flying high for Lincolnshire NHS charity

​Two mental health nurses are preparing to take one big leap to raise money for the charity that does so much good for people across Lincolnshire.
By Rachel Armitage
Published 29th Mar 2024, 09:25 BST
Updated 29th Mar 2024, 09:27 BST
Eleanor Duke and Heidi Richardson.Eleanor Duke and Heidi Richardson.
Eleanor Duke and Heidi Richardson.

​Colleagues Heidi Richardson, from Louth, and Eleanor Duke are preparing for a big leap of faith after they signed up for a charity skydive, alongside 29 other colleagues, raising money for the Lincolnshire NHS Charity.

Registered mental health nurses Heidi and Eleanor work for Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust, as team manager for Integrated Place Based Team (IPBT) at Louth and service lead for the East Division (covering Louth, Skegness and Boston) respectively, and the idea for the skydive was Heidi’s initially:

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"Heidi mentioned it to me and I said it was a crazy idea!” Eleanor said, “But she said it would be a really positive and real experience and then I said yes – it’s always good to challenge yourself and push yourself out of your comfort zone.”

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Eleanor Duke and Heidi Richardson.Eleanor Duke and Heidi Richardson.
Eleanor Duke and Heidi Richardson.

Both agreed that it’s not that they’re scared of heights, it’s the initial jumping out of a plane

They’ve seen first hand the hard work the Lincolnshire NHS Charity does, which supports local NHS services to make a difference to patient care across the county.

Eleanor said: “It’s for a brilliant cause and we’re very proud of our jobs and incredibly proud to talk about the people we’re raising money for, and what they do to make the NHS a good working environment and the best it can be.”

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Heidi added: “It’s a really nice feeling to know we’re not doing this because it’s just a job, but to make a real difference and to help people understand what we do.”

Their sky dive is scheduled to take place on June 22 at Langer Airfield, and Heidi and Eleanor are aiming to raise £900, or £450 each, for the Lincolnshire NHS Charity.

Mark Platts, Director of Finance, Digital and Estates at the Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I’m really looking forward to the skydive, not because I’m counting down to jumping out of a plane at 14,000ft, but because I’m really looking forward to being part of a great event that is bringing so many of us together to help raise as much as we can for our charity.

“From recent discussions with patients and staff I know the funds we are raising can and will make a real difference, which is the best motivation anyone could ask for.”

To make a donation to the cause, visit https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/lincolnshirenhscharityskydive

Related topics:NHSLincolnshire