A Whitehaven woman is to take part in a charity skydive in memory of her father who committed suicide.

Stacey Weir, 29, aims to raise £1,000 for the Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide (SOBS) after her dad, John Hyncica, died in 2014 aged 46.

A rugby player, he was part of the Egremont Rangers team in the 1990s and had a brief professional spell with Workington Town.

Stacey said: “I am delighted that I get to support SOBS as I know how tough and challenging these times can be for anyone that has been through this.

“Personally I have found it really tough, and if it wasn’t for the support of my friends and family I don’t think I would of got through it.

“I have also had to battle and overcome my own issues of anxiety and depression and have found that exercise has helped me, and I have now set up my own personal training business.’’

She said she wanted to raise awareness of mental illness as it is “often overlooked and not taken seriously”.

She added: “I cannot stress enough how important it is for you to educate yourself on mental illness because one day it could be you, a friend or a member of your family suffering from the disease.

“A person will not often show they are suffering as they are too embarrassed or feel trapped and helpless.’’

Stacey, who runs her fitness business from Whitehaven Sports Centre and her home, will be carrying out the skydive with her friend Lauren Graham on April 29.

To support Stacey’s efforts go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Stacey-Weir5 or text JCRJ97 and enter your amount to 70070.