A DEVASTATED Whitehaven woman has paid an emotional tribute to her boyfriend - the "love of her life".

Chelsea Carr is set to take the plunge in a skydive in memory of her 28-year-old boyfriend Matthew Telfer who died on July 22. 

She is raising hundreds of pounds, and awareness, for Papyrus, a charity dedicated to the prevention of young suicide. 

Chelsea said: “I don’t want anyone to go through what I’m going through, thinking he was going to be in my life forever and the next minute he’s gone. It’s horrible. He was the love of my life.” 

“This town has a very high suicide rate. I want to raise awareness. If anyone needs help, there is always someone to talk to.” 

The 25-year-old is preparing for the fundraiser in Flookburgh on October 3. It was due to take place last Saturday but was postponed due to strong winds. 

“I’m doing this for Matthew,” said Chelsea, who she described as “cheerful” and "always had a smile on his face”.

 “He would do anything for anybody. He was always cutting grass around Mirehouse and he did a window cleaning round for a lot of years at Kells. He had a heart of gold," she said.

“He liked playing pool at the Irish bar, going fishing and going out on his bike. He also liked a good gamble. He enjoyed socialising with his friends.” 

She said Matthew suffered long-term emotional problems. The Unity Drug and Alcohol Recovery Service in Whitehaven had also supported him. At his funeral £475 was collected for the organisation in his memory. 

Chelsea, who works at Tesco, said following Matthew’s death the opportunity arose through friend Helen Hardy to do a skydive. She heard about Papyrus through another fundraising friend, Carl Walmsley. 

She has already raised £755.50 on her JustGiving site. Hundreds of pounds have also been pledged on sponsor forms at venues including the Lowther Arms, The Powerhouse Gym, Barwise’s chip shop at Kells and numerous shops in Mirehouse. 

She said the support from people has been “amazing”. 

Chelsea said thanks goes to Debbie Hasley, at First Image in Workington, for printing a photo and writing on her charity t-shirt, in memory of Matthew. 

To sponsor Chelsea, check out the link to the JustGiving site on her Facebook page. 

Anyone who is affected by suicide, or has concerns, can contact the Papyrus Hopeline on 0800 068 4141.