Royal Devon Leaders take the leap for NHS charities on August 14th.

Suzanne Tracey, Chief Executive Officer, Hannah Foster, Chief People Officer, and Professor Adrian Harris, Chief Medical Officer, will be jumping out of a plane at 15,000 feet for the two charities that support staff and patients at the Royal Devon. After a 20-minute three-mile ascent, the plane doors will open and, one by one, each of the jumpers will face a minute’s freefall before their parachutes open and they float back to solid ground.

Three Executive Directors at the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (Royal Devon) are taking to the sky on the 14th August for a charity skydive.

Suzanne Tracey, Chief Executive Officer, Hannah Foster, Chief People Officer, and Professor Adrian Harris, Chief Medical Officer, will be jumping out of a plane at 15,000 feet for the two charities that support staff and patients at the Royal Devon.

After a 20-minute three-mile ascent, the plane doors will open and, one by one, each of the jumpers will face a minute’s freefall before their parachutes open and they float back to solid ground.

“I am absolutely terrified,” says Chief Executive Officer Suzanne Tracey. “I've never done anything like this and the thought of looking down from three miles high fills me with fear, but I am so proud to support these wonderful charities who work tirelessly to improve our services all year round.”

“These charities help us go the extra mile for our patients at their time of need - that’s definitely worth jumping out of a plane for!” says Professor Harris.

“As well as all our patients, I’ll be thinking of all the colleagues we will be helping,” says Hannah Foster, “These two charities do so much to support NHS staff and I’m pleased that I can do a small bit to help raise funds for the vital work they do.”

Over and Above and the RD&E Hospital Charity work together to invest in areas like equipment, patient and family support, capital projects and staff training. The charity funds things that go beyond what the NHS is able to provide to make a real difference to the experience of patients, their families and the staff that treat them.

Head of Fundraising, Ian Roome, says “It’s great to see our Executive Directors going over and above for their local NHS and raising money to help benefit staff and patients throughout Northern and Eastern Devon. Our charities rely on the generosity of our communities and without the support of individuals like Suzanne, Hannah and Adrian, we wouldn’t be able to continue to invest in vital services.”