A TEENAGER has raised more than £1,000 for an organisation dedicated to supporting patients and families affected by a rare genetic disease.

Katie Simmons took a leap of faith in memory of her father, Mark Simmons, who died in 2013 after suffering from Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), for which there is no known cure.

To honor him, the Darlington teenager spent her 16th birthday doing a fundraising skydive at Shotton Colliery Airfield.

She performed the dive at 10,000 feet along with six others including her mother, her friends, and her former school chaplain Melanie Stand.

Miss Simmons said: “If he could see me doing this jump, he’d want to be right there and doing it with me.”

Her mother, Melanie, added: “The sky dive was amazing. I would do definitely do it again. I felt really proud and I couldn’t stop smiling and telling everyone how amazing my daughter was.”

So far, the dive has managed to raised £1,118.48, plus £138.75 Gift Aid. Katie is planning to continue fundraising in the future, as well as possibly performing another skydive, this time at 15,000 feet.

  • To donate to Katie, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Melanie-Stand