Charity skydive for West Mercia officer and men’s mental health grounded due to weather
2 September 2025
She is raising funds in memory of Dane to support men’s mental health initiatives and has been preparing for the event for months.
Nena described feeling ‘absolutely devastated’ when she received the cancellation email on Friday afternoon, the day before she was due to take on the challenge.
“I sobbed like a baby,” she admitted. “I’d used the skydive and the fundraising almost as a way to not have to think about the loss of Dane.
Setback
“We’ve had absolutely glorious weather all summer and I thought it would be okay.
“But we’ve had a lot of rain in Shropshire in the week running up to it, so I had this unhealthy obsession with the weather for a week.
“When it was cancelled, all that pent-up grief came flooding back, and I had an absolutely awful weekend.”
Despite the setback, Nena has already rebooked the challenge.
She will now take to the skies on Saturday 25 April 2026 – poignantly timed to coincide with Dane’s birthday on 26 April.
Jump
“I really didn’t want to do it in the cold or wet months,” she explained. “There’s more risk, and it just wouldn’t have been the same.
“Doing it in April, on Dane’s birthday weekend, feels much more fitting. Weather permitting, that’s when I’ll finally jump.”
Nena is doing the jump in aid of the charity Talk Club, which aims to help men improve their mental health.
So far, Nena has raised £2,370 through her JustGiving page, which will remain open until she completes the skydive.
“The support has been absolutely phenomenal,” she said. “I can think of nothing I want to do less than jump out of a plane.
“I’m doing this for Dane, and for men’s mental health, because it matters.”
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