MOVING into a care home can be a leap into the unknown, so these care home staff took an even bigger leap to make some of their residents' lives more comfortable.

The 10 employees from Orders of St John Care Trust (OSCJT) homes around Oxfordshire joined a sponsored skydive for the charity on September 14.

Setting off from Hinton Skydiving Centre in Brackley, Northamptonshire, they soared to 13,000 then one by one leapt from the plane.

Their efforts raised a total of £4,952 for various projects and initiatives at care homes around the county.

Among the divers was Lisa Khan, home manager at Stirlings in Wantage, who was raising funds for the home's residents' amenity fund.

She said: "The feeling of free-falling from that high and then gliding back down to the ground was, by far, one of the most exhilarating things I’ve ever done.

"But more importantly, we raised quite a bit towards the Stirlings activities fund — which makes the whole experience even more exciting.

"I never thought I’d do anything like this, so the support I’ve received since deciding to do the jump has been truly overwhelming.

"And a big thank you goes out to everyone that kindly donated. Everyone at the home, from residents to employees, appreciates your kindness and generosity."

Three staff members from Longlands Care Home in Blackbird Leys joined the parachute jump to raise money for an adapted minibus at the home.

Carer Donna Shirley, activities coordinator Angela Lindsey and chef Marshal Martin overcame some pre-jump nerves and raised £700.

Also joining the dive were staff from Meadowcroft in Thame, Townsend House in Oxford and OSJCT's operations centre in Witney.

Oxfordshire assistant operations director Patsy Just said: "We work hard to make sure that all our residents are able to continue to enjoy the widest possible range of activities and outings, so fundraising efforts by our homes are really important.

"It’s fantastic that these members of the OSJCT team in Oxfordshire have decided to undertake such an exciting challenge on behalf of our residents – it really seems to have sparked the imagination of lots of people, and we really appreciate the support being offered by various organisations in the local community.

"It's all about enabling people in our homes to get out and about and remain active within their communities, so the benefits of this great effort will be really significant."