A FATHER will take to the skies next month and mark the tenth anniversary of his daughter’s death by facing his fears and raising money for the children’s hospice which cared for her.

Daniel Carrabot, 48, plans to skydive from 12,000ft to raise money for Little Havens Hospice, in Thundersley.

The hospice, in Daws Heath Road, cared for Daniel’s daughter Heather before she died aged 11, in 2004.

Heather was diagnosed when she was four years old with Neuroaxonal Dystrophy, a muscle wasting disease which gradually meant she was unable to walk, talk or do things for herself.

Only around five people in the UK have Neuroastal Dystrophy and Daniel, along with wife Tracy, were told Heather would not live beyond her tenth birthday.

Daniel said: “We had a lot of doors shut on us after Heather was diagnosed, some people wanted to help and some people didn’t. But at Little Havens they just opened their arms to us.”

Heather died on September 3, 2004 and Little Havens arranged for Heather to be taken to the hospice where she stayed in the Woodland Suite, a special bereavement bedroom.

Daniel, fromDagenham, said: “The support and help they gave us by being there was fantastic, they enabled us to have more time to say goodbye to Heather.

“It’s hard to let go of a child, but we got so much support, so I have a lot to thank them for. The work they do is second to none, but they couldn’t do it without people fundraising.”

After waxing his legs to raise just under £1,000 for the charity, Daniel hopes to raise a further £500 when he joins Team Havens on Saturday, September 20 to skydive 12,000ft in memory of Heather and as a thanks to Little Havens.

He said: “With it being ten years since Heather died, I wanted to do something big for the tremendous work they do.”

There is still time to join the Team Havens skydive. For more information or to sign up, visit www.havenshospices.org.uk/events or call Emma Hamilton 01702 220308.