Hundreds take to the skies in honour of cancer victim

THE FRIENDS and family of a teenage cancer victim have carried on his prolific fundraising legacy by setting a new skydiving world record.
Jane and Chris Sutton, the mother and brother of Stephen Sutton, who helped set a new world record for tandem parachute jumps within 24 hours at a single venue, in honour of Stephen.  Pic: Ben Bentley/PA WireJane and Chris Sutton, the mother and brother of Stephen Sutton, who helped set a new world record for tandem parachute jumps within 24 hours at a single venue, in honour of Stephen.  Pic: Ben Bentley/PA Wire
Jane and Chris Sutton, the mother and brother of Stephen Sutton, who helped set a new world record for tandem parachute jumps within 24 hours at a single venue, in honour of Stephen. Pic: Ben Bentley/PA Wire

In memory of 19-year-old Stephen Sutton they set the record yesterday for the most tandem parachute jumps within 24 hours at a single venue.

Mr Sutton died in May 2014 after raising more than £5million for the Teenage Cancer Trust, and yesterday’s record attempt raised over £150,000 more for the charity.

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The Staffordshire teenager chronicled his three-year battle against bowel cancer on social media and created a bucket list of things he wanted to achieve before he died, which included: “Get my name into the Guinness Book of World Records somehow”. Confirmation of just that came last night from Guinness World Records after 402 people completed 403 jumps - with one participant stepping up to do it twice.

Mr Sutton’s mother, Jane, who was among those to jump from a plane 10,000ft above Lincolnshire’s Hibaldstow airfield, said: “We all did Stephen proud today by smashing the record and carrying on his fundraising legacy. Stephen was adventurous, had no fear and lived his life with no regrets. He would have been so impressed to see how many people he inspired to jump out of a plane today.”

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