Siblings to take on Las Vegas charity jump in memory of their sister

A brother and sister from Newtownabbey are set to take part in a '˜sky jump' in Las Vegas next month to raise funds for charity in memory of their sister.
Lynsey Elliott (left) with her sister Louise. INNT 17-806CONLynsey Elliott (left) with her sister Louise. INNT 17-806CON
Lynsey Elliott (left) with her sister Louise. INNT 17-806CON

Lynsey Elliott from Ballyduff and her brother Gary will be travelling to the United States to take on the daunting challenge of a sky jump from the Stratosphere Tower.

The pair are taking on the challenge in memory of their sister Louise, who passed away after suffering heart failure in March 2012.

Lynsey said: “On March 15 2012 I lost my sister and best friend Louise at the age of 29. Our family was shocked and devastated and will never be the same again. She died suddenly from heart failure with no warning or previous health problems.

Gary and Lynsey. INNT 17-810CONGary and Lynsey. INNT 17-810CON
Gary and Lynsey. INNT 17-810CON

“I would love to raise as much money as possible for Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke to help contribute to their work in preventing chest, heart or stroke conditions.”

Lynsey added: “I’m excited about taking part in the sky jump, but also nervous at the same time. I’ve never done anything like this before and this will be the first charity fundraiser.

“Gary will be celebrating his 40th birthday on the Tuesday, so we’ll have that to look forward to after the jump. We picked the charity to raise awareness as chest, heart and stroke conditions affect so many people in Northern Ireland.”

Lynsey, who works in the Directorate of Legal Services department at the Health and Social Care Sector in Belfast, would like to thank her colleagues for their continued support and for making donations to the charity. She also thanked her parents for helping with the charity effort.

Gary and Lynsey. INNT 17-810CONGary and Lynsey. INNT 17-810CON
Gary and Lynsey. INNT 17-810CON

She said: “Dad works with the Good Companions Club in Ballyclare Town Hall and they raised £118 for me. For a group of pensioners to raise this amount of money for us was fantastic. Mum works in Ashwood House Nursing Home and her and her colleagues have been really supportive to the charity.”

The brother and sister team have set up a JustGiving page, which will be open until after they return home from Las Vegas.

“I’d like to thank everyone who has donated to the charity page. We have exceeded our targets already and are very thankful. Chest, Heart and Stroke have been really supportive. They’ve donated t-shirts for us to wear while we are doing the sky jump and have offered support with setting up the charity page.”

Now in its 70th year, Chest, Heart and Stroke have organised a walking challenge with a difference this year. The ‘Step Up Trek’ will see 70 teams compete in a professionally timed event, which will see them climb the five hughest peaks in Northern Ireland. For more information, check out the Northern Ireland Chest, Heart and Stroke site.

If you would like to make a donation in support of Lynsey and Gary’s charity effort, log on to www.justgiving.com/Lynsey-Elliott1.