A POLICE cadet has overcome his fear of heights to take part in a sky dive to fundraise for St Luke’s Hospice in Winsford.

Ben Worsley, from Crewe, raised more than £1,000 by jumping 10,000 feet out of a plane to support the charity which provides care to people in mid and south Cheshire suffering from life-threatening illnesses.

The 17-year-old said: “The support I have received from St Luke’s has been amazing and I am proud to have raised so much money for such a brilliant charity. I hope this inspires others to carry on donating and supporting the hospice, so they can help many more people.”

The budding police officer, who has is currently studying public services at Cheshire College South and West in Crewe, was congratulated by the county’s police and crime commissioner, David Keane, as he handed over the cheque to the hospice.

David Keane said: “Ben is a real asset to our police cadet programme and has exhibited real hard work and dedication since joining the scheme last year. I wish him every success in his new role as a senior cadet and look forward to hopefully seeing him in a full police uniform one day.”

Police cadets are required to complete 40 hours of volunteering work but Ben has given up more than triple that to complete 150 hours by supporting officers at events and helping with PCSO training.

The funds that Ben has raised for St Luke’s will make a huge difference to the hospice with nine out of 10 patients cared for from money received from fundraising and donations.

Sally Rowley, events fundraiser at St Luke’s, said: “Ben has raised a fantastic amount for the hospice and we are so grateful for his fundraising efforts.

“It costs nearly £9000 to run the hospice for a full 24 hours and events such as the skydive are crucial in allowing St Luke’s to continue to provide vital care and support to local communities throughout Cheshire.”