Burnley woman and former Nelson and Colne College student diagnosed with multiple sclerosis prepares to take part in skydive for charity

All the money Sarah Strickland raises will go to the Multiple Sclerosis Society which works to find a cure for the neurological condition. And Sarah has a very special reason for doing this as the 34-year-old was recently diagnosed with the lifelong condition that affects the brain and spinal cord. There is no cure, but treatment can help manage it.

Sarah, who works as sales and service co-ordinator at E A Foulds Limited in Colne, said: “I received the diagnosis after losing feeling down the left handside of my body which has also affected my spine and the main nerve to my brain.

“The condition affects everyone differently and it did have a big impact on my mental health thinking about the future. But I have come to terms with the diagnosis now.

" I have fantastic support from my family, friends and work colleagues. I know a lot of people out there with MS are not as fortunate as me and that’s why I want to raise as much money as possible for the charity that provides a lot of support for people with the condition.”

Sarah, a former student at Nelson and Colne College and West Craven High School in Barnoldswick, was given the devastating diagnosis after a series of tests and MRI scans. Although MS is not directly inherited from parent to child and there is no single gene that causes it, Sarah discovered that her great grandmother, who she never knew, had the condition.

Sarad added: “She died from the condition in her 40s but that was many years ago and research and treatment has moved on a great deal since then.”

Sarah’s sky dive will take place at Brigg airfield in Scunthorpe on Sunday, October 27th. She has already smashed her £400 target by raising £670 and anyone who would like to donate is asked to click HERE. Among those cheering Sarah on will be her partner Emma and step daughter Lucy (four). Sarah added: “They have been amazing and Lucy is a little star.”