A BRAVE mother will plunge 10,000ft from a plane to raise money for a charity close to her family’s heart.

Kelly Hocking, 24, of Billy Row, County Durham, feared for son Alex’s life when he was born five weeks prematurely and with a hole in his stomach.

It took Alex, now three, ten weeks and several operations at hospital in Newcastle to recover from a rare condition called gastroschisis, which causes the bowels to develop outside the body.

His mother, who was unable to drive at the time, was relieved when the Sick Children’s Trust offered to put her up at Crawford House, near the hospital, so she could be at his side day and night.

Miss Hocking hopes to raise £2,000 for the trust by jumping from a plane on August 8.

She said: “I am just going to close my eyes and jump.”

The mother-of-two will be joined by Alison Byrne, 29, of nearby Roddymoor, who was offered accommodation when her daughter, Abigail, one, was ill. She lost her twin sister, Georgia, after they were found to be suffering from a condition that restricts blood flow to one twin.

The mothers have organised two charity evenings at Billy Row Club on September 5 and October 24.

To help them, call 07727-059048.