A Northamptonshire pensioner is preparing to jump out of a plane to help find a cure for brain tumours after losing his wife to the disease.
Bill Corner, 76 from Nether Heyford will reach an eye watering 10,000ft during his Jump for Hope tandem skydive from Chatteris Airfield in Cambridge. He is raising money for the charity, Brain Tumour Research.
Bill said: “You’d have to be silly to do a skydive if you were afraid of heights.”
The septuagenarian who has had a double knee replacement and battled through cancer had to complete a suitability test before the jump on Saturday 15 June.
He said: “I was strapped into a harness attached to a wall and then had to climb a ladder which was removed. After a few seconds suspended, I was asked to lift my legs out in front of me, something I would need to do during landing from the skydive. I passed the tests which proves that age is not a barrier when it comes to adrenaline filled challenges.”
Bill has raised more than £2,600 for the charity in memory of his wife, Sue, a former Nether Heyford parish councillor and Barclay Card systems manager for over 30 years, who previously served in the RAF for five years.
Sue was diagnosed with a brain tumour in November 2019. While driving to pick up her grandchildren, she felt peculiar and pulled over, calling her daughter who alerted Bill. He found her overhanging a T-junction. After a rushed trip to A&E, a CT scan revealed a glioblastoma (GBM). Despite radiotherapy and chemotherapy, Sue passed away 11 months later at age 72.
Bill who has a 19-month old labrador called Brian, said: “Sue and I got back together 25 years ago, having first dated four decades before. Sue was a beautiful person, caring with a beautiful smile. Losing her has been hard but I have kept her spirit alive through fundraising for Brain Tumour Research.”
Last year (2023), in September, Bill walked 10km as part of the charity’s Milton Keynes Walk of Hope, which started and finished at its head office in Shenley Wood.
Bill, a former automotive engineer who worked mostly for Ford and Cosworth, is hoping to raise even more money towards his target and will be hosting a stall at Nether Heyford Village Hall Fate on Saturday 8 June from 2-5pm.
Bill aded: “My niece will be there on the day, looking after Brian the dog who I’ve not spent longer than 40 minutes apart from since adopting him in February. I know Sue would be proud of everything I have done in her honour so that we are closer to finding a cure for all types of brain tumours.”
Charlie Allesbrook, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “We are grateful for Bill’s continued support. He is always coming to us with great fundraising ideas and has supported by volunteering at many of our local events Just 12% of those diagnosed with a brain tumour survive beyond five years compared with an average of 54% across all cancers. We’re determined to change this, but we can’t do it alone. We wish Bill the best of luck for his Jump for Hope.”
Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at dedicated centres in the UK. It also campaigns for the Government and larger cancer charities to invest more in research into brain tumours in order to speed up new treatments for patients and, ultimately, to find a cure. The charity is the driving force behind the call for a national annual spend of £35 million in order to improve survival rates and patient outcomes in line with other cancers such as breast cancer and leukaemia.
To donate to Brain Tumour Research via Bill’s Jump for Hope, please visit: www.justgiving.com/page/bill-corner-1715262289633
