AFTER suffering through her own battle, a woman is taking to the skies to spread awareness about the devastation of cancer.

Charlotte Stiles and her friend Kelly Rothin, both from Burnham-on-Sea, will be taking the plunge in a 15,000ft skydive on October 5.

The brave duo aim to raise as much money as possible to aid Cancer Research UK, as both had lost a family member to the illness.

Miss Stiles said: “So many people are facing battles with cancer. Whether it is first hand, or someone you know. It is shocking to know that one in two people in the UK will experience some sort of cancer within their lifetime.

“Last year 163,444 people lost their battle with cancer in the UK, this is a massive amount of people.

“Not only did it devastatingly steal those lives but also affects those who had to face the aftermath. It is just all heart breaking and the scary fact is, is that it is everywhere.”

Not only do they want to raise money for Cancer Research UK, they want to boost awareness of skin cancer.

As Miss Stiles has personal experience of the illness, she wants everyone to know that it could happen to anyone.

She said: “Not only are we doing this for lost love ones, but to also raise awareness of all the different types of skin cancer.

“In particular the awareness for skin cancer.

There are around 102,000 of non-melanoma skin cases diagnosed each year in the UK, making it the most common.

“People usually say that it is more common for older people to develop this type of skin cancer but from a personal experience, I can say that it is not always the case.

“Everyone needs to be aware of all types of cancer, we all need to do our bit by raising awareness and being proactive.”

According to the cancer charity, 50 per cent of people diagnosed with cancer in England and Wales survive their disease, but these two women say that isn’t high enough.

Visit their JustGiving page to donate to their cause: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Kelly-Charlotte-skydive.