Nottinghamshire man with MND completes 'terrifying' 15,000ft skydive

Liam and his tandem jumper prepare for the fall

A man with motor neurone disease (MND) has completed a "terrifying but awesome" skydive for charity.

Liam Blaney, who was diagnosed with the disease in 2021 and now uses a wheelchair, jumped from a plane at 15,000ft (4,500m) over Devon on Saturday.

The 54-year-old, from Nuthall, Nottinghamshire, and friends who dived with him, have raised nearly £10,000 for the MND Association.

The charity thanked him for the feat.

Mr Blaney said: "I had to do the jump in tandem with an instructor. He was sitting in the door of the plane and I was strapped in front of him sitting on, well, nothing.

"I was just hanging over the void with nothing below me but a few clouds.

"It was completely terrifying but also the most awesome experience. I absolutely loved it."

The MND Association said Liam's skydive was "no mean feat"

Mr Blaney, a former karate teacher, and wife Nicky were part of a 12-strong team who completed the skydive.

It is the latest of a series of fund-raising challenges he has undertaken which include scaling Snowdon, pushed by his friends, in 2022.

Linda Allen, director of fundraising at MND Association, said: "We are absolutely delighted Liam has chosen to do this remarkable fundraising in our name.

"To attempt a skydive when you have MND and are a wheelchair user is no mean feat."