Burnley mum’s sky dive for Tourettes charity

THE sky’s the limit for one Burnley mum who is preparing to take part in a skydive to raise money and awareness for a cause that is very close to her heart.

Rebecca Pope will be jumping from a plane today along with hundreds of other people across the country as part of the Tourettes Action National Sky Dive Event. The event is being staged to celebrate the 30th birthday of Tourettes Action. This is a national information and research charty that supports people with the condition, including Rebecca’s oldest son, Jake, a pupil at Blessed Trinity RC College in Burnley, who also celebrates his 14th birthday on the day of the skydive.

Rebecca (32) of Lowerhouse, said: “I have never done anything like this before and although I feel nervous about it I am excited at the same time and while the aim is to raise money it is also about making people aware of this condition so they can understand it more.’’

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Tourettes Syndrome is a neurological disorder characterised by repeated and uncontrollable body movements and vocal sounds known as tics. One of the most misunderstood and under-diagnosed disorders, Tourettes is now believed to affect up to one in every 100 schoolchildren and around 300,000 people in the UK.

Rebecca said: “Jake has recently been through a very trying time dealing with the effects of Tourettes Syndrome. He is one of the 10% of sufferers who, at times swears uncontrollably, and this can be very hard for anyone but especially a teenage boy.

“I want Jake to see that by doing the skydive on his birthday we are supporting him with the challenges he goes through every day. Sometimes it does just take the understanding of everyone around him to make life much easier.’’

Rebecca will be doing the skydive in Honiton, Devon, with her sister Elizabeth Pope, who lives in Devon. They will be watched by their families including Rebecca’s partner, Leslie Barrettt and the couple’s younger son, nine-year-old Lincoln and Elizabeth’s partner, Mark Price. Elizabeth and Mark, who are both professional entertainers, have been encouraging people to wear wristbands, in support of Tourettes Action all across Devon.

Anyone who would like more information or to sponsor Rebecca can contact Helen Robbins at Tourettes Action on 01276 482900 or log onto [email protected].

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