by holdthefrontpage staff
Brave Plymouth Evening Herald reporter Helen Pearse is to face her fear and skydive from 10,000ft to raise money for the paper's charity cause.
The 25-year-old health reporter is petrified of heights, but is preparing to take the plunge for Give A Child A Chance, a charity which she feels strongly about and which raises money for children with special health needs.
After considering 'safer' options such as swimming with sharks, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro or shaving her head, Helen decided jumping out of a plane was for her.
Helen tries out her head for heights on top
of the Evening Herald offices
She said: "I'm petrified of heights but I wanted to do something different and I thought if I did something easy no one would want to sponsor me.
"I also wanted to do something where I didn't have to train, because I'm quite lazy, and which hopefully won't do me any long-lasting damage.
"I must be completely mad - but I'm trying not to think about it!"
Attached to an instructor, Helen will freefall for 30 seconds from a height of 10,000ft above the fields of Dunkeswell.
It will then take another four minutes to reach the ground.
Helen said: "I'm sure it'll be the longest four-and-a-half minutes of my life. And I'm even more sure I'll have my eyes shut the entire time."
Helen will leap into the unknown on August 21. If you would like to sponsor her you can contact her at hpearse@eveningherald.co.uk
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