One very high jump for charity

11:00am Saturday 16th December 2006

A SOUTH Woodford girl took to the skies to raise £1,700 for a Waltham Forest Parkinson's charity.

Laura Brake, 16, of Thornwood Close, took part in a tandem 1,200 feet free fall to raise money for the Waltham Forest Parkinson's Disease Society because her grandmother Barbara Mears has the condition.

Her mother Linda said her daughter now plans to do a bungee jump because she has got a taste for extreme sports.

Laura's grandad Len Mears, of Gordon Road, South Woodford, said caring for his wife Barbara was a 24-hour job and his only social contact is with people who care for those with the condition.

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that often impairs the person's motor skills and speech.

Muscle rigidity, tremors, a slowing of physical movement and in extreme cases a loss of physical movement are all characteristics of the condition.

Jean Leff, of the Waltham Forest Parkinson's Disease Society, Larkswood Road, Chingford Mount, said they have just received a £4,644 Awards for All lottery grant.

It will be spent on hiring temporary carers while the full-time carers take a break.

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