A group of local people from West Sussex has raised thousands of pounds for West Sussex Mind in an amazing joint tandem skydive. The team – Sarah Alexander, Casey Alexander, Steve Alexander, Andrea Payani, Martine Fox, Mike Hendy and Sharon Fellingham – has raised over £7,000 so far through JustGiving. The team was joined by some friends and family who also did the daring skydive.
Team Forever Young wanted to raise funds for West Sussex Mind, increase awareness about mental health and, most importantly, commemorate the loss of Mark Sheehan.
Mark Sheehan died at the age of 44 last June after struggling with his mental health and suffering a rapid decline.
A senior chartered accounted for over 20 years and a happily married man, Mark enjoyed life, and was a very active and sociable person. He found enjoyment from running, participating in weekly park runs, half marathons and he even ran the Brighton marathon a couple of times to support local charities. Mark also enjoyed an active social life and had a wide circle of family and friends, all of whom miss him terribly.
Sarah Alexander, Mark’s sister, said: “Our quest to raise funds for West Sussex Mind is a legacy that Mark would truly appreciate – so I am delighted to champion the cause with Team Forever Young”. Sarah also said that “no one should have to face a crisis alone” and expressed her wish to stop similar cases.
Sarah said that the team wanted to fundraise specifically for West Sussex Mind, as "we didn’t realise that Mind and West Sussex Mind are separate”. Previously they had raised £4,000 at Mark’s funeral for Mind, without realising that West Sussex Mind is an independently funded and run charity, separate from national Mind.
Speaking of the skydive itself, Sarah said that all the team want to do it again and described how one member of the team “…wouldn’t go on a teacup ride, but managed to jump out of a plane!"
She elaborated further on the experience, saying it was “absolutely amazing” and that she would “highly recommend” it to others. A massive and heartfelt thank you to Team Forever Young from all of us at West Sussex Mind. We congratulate them on their amazing fundraising and their incredible accomplishments!
Team Forever Young’s pages are still open for donations. See https://www.justgiving.com/team/Foreveryoung44 to donate.