Brave Valleys teenager takes on skydive for charity

A teenager from the South Wales Valleys has gone to extraordinary heights to raise money for charity after taking the plunge 12,000 ft out a plane to help people battling with heart disease.

Sixteen-year-old Cyrstal Liu from Porth took to the skies to carry out a sponsored sky-dive in aid of the British Heart Foundation.

The college learner, who is studying for A-levels at Coleg y Cymoedd, took the jump in Swansea with Skydive Swansea and has already raised more than £400 thanks to her bravery.

After being tasked with raising money for charity as part of her college studies, Crystal decided to dive straight into the deep end with a tandem sky-dive.

Crystal explained: “I wanted to do something different and out there for my fundraising because the I really wanted to challenge myself. I had never done anything like this and thought it would be a great way to raise funds.”

Despite having never done anything like it before, Crystal wasn’t fazed about the prospect of jumping out of a plane 12,000 ft above ground, instead focusing on the fact that she would be helping a good cause. 

She said: “In the run up to the event, I wasn’t actually that nervous. I distracted myself and thought about how the money I raised would make a difference and help the lives of others, but the nerves definitely kicked in on the day! 

“Despite some initial butterflies pre-jump, I was more excited than anything – excited at the prospect of taking part in such an amazing experience, especially knowing I was helping a really worthwhile cause in the process. The sky-dive itself was an absolutely incredible and is definitely something I will never forget.”

Crystal completed the sky dive as part of her Welsh baccalaureate at college, which required her to take part in a group ‘community challenge’, raising money for a charity collectively decided upon by Crystal and her group of two other course mates.

Each of the learners could raise money in whatever way they wanted, but rather than opting for a more straight-forward method of fundraising, Crystal was immediately set on jumping out of a plane to the surprise of tutors and classmates.

Following her sky-dive, the thrill seeker is now hoping to undertake other extreme sports in the future, with plans for a bungee jump next on the cards.

In total, the college group raised almost £600 for the British Heart Foundation, which will go towards making the charity’s ground-breaking heart research possible.

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