A University of Worcester student is fundraising for a skydive in memory of his father.

Business management student, Jack Lambert, originally of Neen Savage, Shropshire, lost his father, Mike Lambert, to a shock heart condition last May.

The 19-year-old student started fundraising for the British Heart Foundation last month using the online platform JustGiving, which has since reached over £2,100.

Jack said: "I am excited for the big day and so very grateful for the support that has been shown by everyone who has donated.

"He was always an incredibly fit and active person, but always had vertigo and a fear of heights which made me want to do this for him.

"I will be skydiving May 6 2022, at the Tilstock airfield in Shropshire."

Mike was a keen athlete and competed for the Kidderminster and Stourport Athletic Club for many years, and had no known diagnosed heart conditions before he passed away at the age of 58.

Worcester News: Mike Lambert competing in an athletics event. Mike Lambert competing in an athletics event.

Jack added: "When we lost dad, it was without a doubt the worst day of my life.

"He came back from a run with chest pains and an ambulance was called. His heart stopped on the way to the hospital and was not able to be re-started.

"It was an incredibly hard time for our family and the funeral was limited in numbers due to the pandemic so friends and family could not attend in the way they would have wished."

He was the Worcestershire Children First operational manager in business systems, working for Worcestershire County Council for over 17 years.

Director of Resources at Worcestershire Children First, Phil Rook,  said: “Mike was a key part of my management team within Worcestershire for 17 years, and is very much missed by his colleagues.

"He played a pivotal role behind the scenes as our Operational Manager in Business Systems providing a range of support to schools, partner organisations and across children’s services across Worcestershire.

"We were all shocked and saddened to hear of Mike’s passing last year and as an organisation, we’ve been keen to help his family’s fundraising efforts, encouraging staff across both Worcestershire County Council and Worcestershire Children First to give what they can to help Jack meet his target and raise awareness of heart and circulatory disease in the UK.”

If you want to donate to Jack's skydive, you can visit here