A RETIRED widower from Marlow is preparing to do a parachute jump at the age of 64 to raise money for the charity that helped her husband through cancer.

Wendy Smith, of Deanfield Close, is choosing to do the jump on behalf of the Iain Rennie Hospice at Home charity, which provides palliative nursing care for terminally ill patients at home.

Mrs Smith lost her husband Sidney 16 months ago to cancer, but says his quality of life in his final stages were dramatically improved by the attention he received from the hospice.

And she is now looking to raise in excess of £375 through sponsorship by completing the jump on June 5.

She said: "Sidney wanted to stay at home and though I knew some nursing I could not have done it without them.

"Just to have someone at the end of the phone to come out as needed 24 hours a day, or give advice that for me was the biggest help."

Mrs Smith is making the jump with the hospice, based in Tring, Herts, which is staging a special fundraising event for its forthcoming 20th anniversary.

The hospise was planning to get 20 people together for the jump, who would all leap out of an aeroplane at the same time, but it has been so popular that numbers are currently at 32.

Mrs Smith, who is also diabetic, will be making her second parachute jump since her husband's death after getting the all-clear from the doctor.

She said: "You just lean out of the door and away you go. It is fantastic.

"It is the most amazing feeling and to look at the world without being in an aircraft is indescribable. "

The jump will take place at RAF Weston on the Green in Bicester, Oxfordshire, and Mrs Smith is looking for as many sponsors as possible to help her raise funds.

If you would like to donate please telephone Mrs Smith on 01628 478670. Anyone looking to take part in the jump themselves should contact Jo Dyson of the hospice, on 01442 890222