Student hopes his fundraising leap from 10,000ft to help keep children safe will inspire others this Childhood Day

• University student faces fear of heights head-on to complete charity skydive
• Joseff Evans jumps out of aeroplane in ‘unforgettable experience’ to raise money for the NSPCC
• The child protection charity relies on public donations for 90% of its income

A university student from Denbigh has jumped 10,000ft from an aeroplane to raise money for the NSPCC to help prevent child abuse and protect young people from harm.

Joseff Evans, 21, decided to overcome his fear of heights by signing up for the charity skydive through Bangor University, where he is a third-year history student.

He says: “I’ve never done anything like it before and I’m not a huge fan of big heights either. I felt really anxious on the days leading up to it, but the team at Tilstock Airfield, where the jump took place, were fantastic.

“The moment we jumped I felt completely terrified but it was quickly overtaken by sheer excitement and joy, it’s one of the greatest experiences of my life and it left me feeling ecstatic afterwards.

“Being able to conquer a fear and help a great cause at the same time was an unforgettable experience and I would recommend it to anyone. I decided to fundraise for the NSPCC because I really respect their dedication and hard work in helping children to recover from abuse and neglect.

“I hope the money I have raised will really help the NSPCC in their efforts to support children and families across the country, because the assistance they provide is crucial in giving children the best chance in life.”

The charity provides vital support to children as young as four who have been sexually abused through its therapeutic service called Letting the Future In. It also offers its In Ctrl programme across north Wales that helps children and young people stay safe online, by building their confidence to speak out if they come across something online that worries them. It gives children, and their parents or carers, a safe space to build an understanding of risk and increase their resilience.

Prestatyn is home to one of the UK’s 12 Childline bases, from where volunteer counsellors listen to children and young people who contact the service to speak to a trusted adult about anything that might be upsetting them. Childline delivers counselling sessions every day to children who are being abused, neglected or struggling to cope with their mental health. In the last year, almost 90,000 counselling sessions have been delivered to children and young people across the UK about mental wellbeing and abuse alone.

Supporter Fundraising Manager for NSPCC Cymru/Wales, Julie Richards says: “Jumping out of an aeroplane at 10,000ft is not for the faint-hearted and Joseff has the admiration of all of us at the NSPCC in facing his fear of heights in his fundraising efforts for our charity.

“Our services such as Childline are mostly funded by public donations, which we rely on for 90% of our charity’s income, so it’s thanks to fundraisers like Joseff that help us raise the funds we need to support the families we work with.

“Skydiving isn’t the only way people across Wales can support us, which I suspect may come as a relief to some of your readers. In fact, a way people without a head for heights can show their support is by having a fundraising day of play – bringing their family, friends or colleagues together for Childhood Day.”

Childhood Day takes place on June 11^th and those keen to play their part can find out how they can play, whilst raising money to help keep all children across Wales safe, via the charity’s website.

Joseff, who has raised almost £400 with his jump, is hoping his skydive will inspire people to get involved in the fundraising day of fun.

He says: “I think Childhood Day is a fantastic idea because being able to do something fun and raise money at the same time is a brilliant way to encourage people to take part in supporting a good, charitable cause.

“If you have the ability to help in any way, then I think you should regardless of what it is. Go out and have some fun because raising money for charity will make it even more enjoyable whether it’s a football match or a skydive – there’s so much you could do.”

As well as fundraising, the charity can be supported in other ways too with volunteers playing a huge role in making the NSPCC’s child protection work possible. Childline Prestatyn is in need of more volunteers and anyone keen to find out more can contact Sally.King-Sheard@nspcc.org.uk or 01745 772 101. Successful applicants are asked to give a minimum 4.25 hours per week as a Childline counsellor, and receive a comprehensive training package.

To find out more about Joseff’s challenge, you can visit his JustGiving page.

Childline is available for young people on 0800 1111 or at www.childline.org.uk. Anyone concerned about a child can contact the NSPCC Helpline for advice on 0808 800 5000. Adult victims of non-recent sexual abuse can also get in touch for support.