“I was frightened of heights!” – daredevil grandma makes 15,000ft charity skydive for Veteran Care Village

Daredevil Eccles grandma Brenda Cogswell has jumped out of a plane at 15,000ft to raise money for Broughton House Veteran Care Village in Salford.

Among the group of seven skydivers that took part in the jump, the 67-year-old was joined by her 54-year-old sister, Jackie Bevan, and 19-year-old granddaughter Ally Cogswell for her fourth tandem jump, reaching speeds of up to 175 miles per hour.

“I was frightened of heights before I made my first skydive at the age of 50,” she said, “but if you can face jumping out of a plane and falling to Earth, you can do anything.”

Brenda’s late father, Frank Blackburn, was a Royal Marine Commando who took part in the D-Day landings and won the Pacific Star military campaign medal for further bravery during the Second World War.

Brenda has had an interest in veteran’s stories ever since.

“When I was a district nurse, I used to treat patients at Broughton House and when I retired I thought it would be a nice place to volunteer,” she said.

“It’s a wonderful place where our veterans are well-cared for.”

The money raised is in aid of a £15 million redevelopment of Broughton House, which will feature a 64-bedroom care home, up to 30 independent living apartments, a military support hub, memorial park and landscaped gardens with a bowling green and bandstand.

The daredevil grandma is not done with her adventurous fundraising challenges, with plans to climb Ben Nevis in the near future.

“The public’s support is vital in securing the funding to complete the building work at Broughton House,” she said.

🔔Great News!🔔

A few weeks ago Brenda, John, Amanda, Alicia, Sally, Jenni and Jackie took part in a Skydive 🪂 to raise money for BH!

They raised an incredible £6,480.00 in donations which is amazing! 🤩

Thank you to all who supported them as they undertook this challenge! 💙 pic.twitter.com/4eES8DO10S

— Broughton House – Veteran Care Village (@BroughtonHouse) October 20, 2020

“It was an amazing experience… and it was made all the more special because Ally and Jackie were taking part too.”

Laura Carr, community and events fundraiser for Broughton House, said: “We are hugely grateful to the group who all did amazingly well and are now part of a growing Broughton House skydiving family!”

To find out more about fundraising for Broughton House, visit https://www.broughtonhouse.com/volunteering-fundraising/