A WOMAN has pledged to fulfil her late husband’s ambition to do a skydive by taking the leap in his memory – while scattering some of his ashes on the way down.

Tracy Fisher, from Richmond, North Yorkshire, has already raised more than £1,000 on her Just Giving page for Help for Heroes in memory of Duncan Fisher, who died on January 31, just two days before a scheduled operation to attempt to control his epilepsy.

Mrs Fisher, who is completing the skydive with her 16-year-old son Jamie and five other friends, said she was excited to take on the challenge and was sure her husband would have been proud. He had always wanted to do a skydive, but was unable to because of his epilepsy.

She said: “Duncan had a brain tumour removed in 1999 which left scar tissue causing his epilepsy.

“The brain tumour ended his Army career prematurely but he had been able to work as a scaffolder while his epilepsy was more controllable.

“However it became less and less controllable and he had an operation to remove some scar tissue but this just made it worse – over Christmas he had more than 150 seizures and was scheduled to have a further operation in February, but he went to sleep on January 31.”

The couple had been married for five years after nine years together and had a five-year-old son Rori, as well as Mrs Fisher’s two sons Jamie and Charlie, 17.

She is now preparing for the skydive at Durham Tees Valley Airport on August 9, and said she wanted to do something in her husband’s memory every year.

She said: “I came up with the idea of the skydive just a few days after his death – I wanted to do something for charity and the Help for Heroes Phoenix House recovery centre in Catterick Garrison has really helped both of us.

“Duncan and I went there together and he was able to use the gym safely and we got lots of support.

“They were amazing in getting hold of Help for Heroes hoodies for Duncan’s funeral, getting them printed for us and with special black draw stings instead of white.

“I wore his hoody at the funeral and his six pallbearers had new ones. I’m just glad to do something positive and put my mind to something else.”

To donate visit https://www.justgiving.com/Tracy-Fisher4/.