Coco's brave skydive at Sibson in aid of Alzheimer's Research

Coco Story completed the 13,000ft tandem jump at Sibson Airfield last month in honour of her grandfather.

The 20-year-old, who studies biological sciences at Westminster University but is originally from Stibbington, said: “I am so happy to have done the jump. Of course it gets a bit nerve-wracking near the top but it’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.

“I’m very proud to have raised over £2,000 for a cause close to my heart and I thank my friends and family for being so generous.”

The skydive was for a cause close to her heart. Her grandfather John Richard Burrell, from Tydd St Mary, died in 2009 with vascular dementia at the age of 81.

Coco said: “Grandpa always played with us as kids. He used to give us rides on his back and liked to have fun, and those are memories I will cherish forever.

“He didn’t live near us but always made an effort to visit. We had a really close relationship and he has always been special to me. I loved him very much.

“He was diagnosed in 2006 and in 2009 he went into hospital. He had lost the ability to speak to us, but my sister and I sang to him in the hospital, as he loved music, and he was squeezing my hand to the beat of the song, which was really touching and something that I will always remember. It is horrible to think what the disease did to him.”

Coco said she likes activities that get the adrenaline going but had “never done anything as extreme” as a skydive before.

To support Coco’s jump go to http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/cocostory. And to sign up to a fundraising activity go to www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/fundraising.