A MAN will battle his fear of heights when he takes part in a skydive to raise money for the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS).

Gary McDonald, of Stockton, decided to raise money for GNAAS when his friend and colleague, Dan Hedley, was given a skydiving experience voucher for his birthday.

The accountant will swap his suit for a harness and complete the dive of 10,000ft. This will be the first event of its kind for Mr McDonald who has always been afraid of heights. He will brave the drop at Durham Tees Valley Airport on August 22.

The 37-year-old said: “We get a 30 or 40 minute training session and that’s it. I guess I’ll just have to scream as we go down. I knew if I was to get over my fear I wanted to do it for charity and the GNAAS is fantastic, they are an invaluable asset to the North. When I found out they were fully funded by donations it just seemed like the right charity to choose, they save so many lives.”

Mandy Drake, head of fundraising at GNAAS said: “It’s brilliant that Mr McDonald plans to overcome his fear while raising money for the charity. We are so grateful he has chosen us as every donation counts.”

To skydive from Durham Tees Valley Airport like Mr McDonald, call Skydive St George on 01325-337929. Participants must raise a minimum of £300, which includes the cost of the jump.