A group of daredevil first-time sky divers has raised a whopping £4,500 for STARS Dorset, a charity which supports anyone who lives, works or studies in the county who has been affected by sexual violence at anytime in their life.

The group of supporters took to the skies at Go Sky Dive in Salisbury and each one jumped from 10,000ft for the charity.

The team, made up of the charity’s volunteers, counsellors, employees and those who have seen the great work the charity does, each had their own reasons for bravely jumping and the charity is hugely grateful.

All the services that STARS Dorset offers such as one to one counselling, its helpline and its Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVA) service are free and the charity relies heavily on donations from the public to maintain their provision.

Simone Gosden, the charity’s Volunteer Co-ordinator and one of the sky divers said said it was a thrilling experience and urged others to sign up.

He said: “I wanted to take on a challenge that would push me out of my comfort zone.

“I was really scared at the thought of jumping out of a plane however it was one of the best experiences of my life and I would advise anyone who is thinking of doing it to do it. The fact that I enjoyed it so much and we raised £4500 for STARS Dorset made it even better.

“If you would like to support STARS Dorset and either yourself or your business would like to do a sky dive for the charity please get in touch.”

n STARS is a pan-Dorset charity that offers one to one support, free of charge, for anyone of any age or gender, who lives works or studies in Dorset and has experienced any form of sexual violence at any time in their lives.

A spokesman said: “We provide several different types of support including an Independent Sexual Violence Advisor Service, Counselling, a Children and Young People’s Service and a Helpline.

Anyone who has been affected by sexual violence and would like confidential advice and support can call the STARS Helpline on 01202 308855 or visit starsdorset.org