Havant sisters to jump out of a plane in aid of brother Lewis Hine's charity

Chloe and Jessica Hine, 21 and 17, will be jumping out of a plane on October 25 to raise money for A World With Friends, the charity set up by their brother Lewis.

The charity, which connects lonely young people around the world, has fallen on hard times as donations and fundraising dried up due to the outbreak of coronavirus.

Keen to pick up the slack, and having shielded since March, the girls are gearing up to make up for lost ground.

Chloe said: ‘I'm going to be honest, the thought of jumping out of a plane keeps me up at night.

‘I keep waking up in a panic thinking its a nightmare and then I realise it's actually going to happen and that makes me panic even more.

‘Even though I am terrified, there was only one answer when Lewis asked me to do it – my fear and anxiety is temporary and it's nothing compared to what Lewis and the young people that are helped through the charity go through.

‘I hope we can raise a good amount of money to help the charity make a positive difference in even more young people's lives.’

A long list of fundraising events had been planned by the charity for 2020, including a summer fair and masquerade ball.

But while the money dried up, the charity became busier than ever, with an increasing number of young people – including Lewis himself – becoming isolated due to shielding restrictions.

Jessica added: ‘Every day I see the challenges that Lewis faces with his health and how hard he works to help other young people like him and his determination to never give up.

‘Chloe and I have volunteered for Lewis’ charity since it started – we have seen first hand the difference the charity makes to others suffering with an illness or disability and the smiles events like the proms and skiing bring to them.

‘If jumping out of a plane at 10,000ft means more young people can have those experiences and smiles then it's definitely worth doing.’

To donate, people can go to justgiving.com/fundraising/chloeandjess.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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