A Buckley woman took to the skies for an emotional fundraiser in memory of her father.
Julie Le Dain has completed a tandem skydive to help raise funds for the Royal Buckley Town Band (RBTB), of which she is a member of subsidiary group, Buckley Brass.
The 52-year-old said: "My father, Anthony McArthur Le Dain served in the R.E.M.E. (Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers) for 23 years and when he left the army in June 1982 he emigrated to Australia.
"When I was 15 I travelled to Australia and spent three months with my father. He had always told me the next time I came over that we would do a tandem skydive together but unfortunately we never got to fulfil this dream as he sadly passed away in October 2011.
"Two months prior to my father's passing I was diagnosed with CFS/fibromyalgia, a neurological condition which is characterised by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep disruption, an inability to focus on mental tasks, anxiety, depression, low self confidence and a fear of heights."
Julie Le Dain presents a cheque to Stephen Griffiths, chairman of Royal Buckley Town Band, with some of the players from Buckley Brass and conductor Steve Pugh-Jones.
Julie went on to explain how she chose to take the plunge in aid of RBTB: "At eight-years-old I had joined the Royal Buckley Town Band and continued playing the cornet until the birth of my first child in 1994.
"The Royal Buckley Town Band was established in 1822 and celebrates its bicentenary this year. In 2016 Buckley Brass was formed, a subsidiary of RBTB and in 2017/18 I joined Buckley Brass as a cornet player. I currently am playing the flugelhorn.
"Both bands within the organisation rely on monies obtained through concerts, donations and Christmas carolling to maintain the upkeep of the bandroom, music, instruments etc, but due to Covid we have not been able to do this.
"With this in mind I have decided to attempt a charity tandem skydive to raise money for R.B.T.B. and also in memory of my late father.
"My fiancé Dave Hewitt kindly agreed to pay for the skydive, photos and video of the skydive as an early birthday present in order that I could raise as much money as possible for the band."
Making the leap from the plane is fundraiser Julie Le Dain.
Last month, at Tilstock Airport in Whitchurch Julie completed the tandem skydive and managed to raise a total of £650 for the band through a GoFundMe page on Facebook and sponsorship monies, thanks to the generosity of family, friends, associates and work colleagues.
In the presentation photo Julie also points out: "Members of Buckley Brass are wearing the band uniform which consists of a black shirt/blouse and a red tie. Initially we only had a plain red tie but in November 2021 my step-father, Allan Jones, kindly bought us new band ties with the Buckley Brass logo on in memory of his parents, Jack and Mary Jones, who both enjoyed listening to the Buckley Band, especially on Jubilee day."
Buckley Brass is currently looking to recruit cornet players and tenor horn players but all new players are welcome to bring them back up to full strength.
They rehearse every Tuesday from 7.30pm to 9.30pm. If interested, contact Jack Hewitt on 07730585027 or email j.c.hewitt@outlook.com for more details.
If you would like to support Julie's fundraising, you can visit her GoFundMe page at https://bit.ly/3zMY9qZ
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